Astral Chloe
by ms-cherryred
Summary: Chloe investigates a bank robbery and gets way more than she bargained for. SmallvilleCharmed crossover, with a little Chlark.
1. Chapter 1

_Title: _Astral Chloe  
_Author:_ Mellifluous (ms-cherryred)  
_Pairing: _Chlark  
_Rating:_ T  
_Spoilers or warnings_: Smallville: Thru season 5; Charmed: Thru season 8  
_Summary:_ Chloe investigates a bank robbery and gets way more than she bargained for.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Smallville or Charmed, but I do own the plot of this story.**

Chapter One

Chloe smiled. It had been a normal week, a rare occasion in her life. She was glad for this break from extraordinary circumstance; she planned to get the most out of this normality while it lasted. Nothing major had happened so far, and she wanted to keep it that way--at least for that one week. She took a long sip of coffee and continued her research. It wasn't anything major; just your run-of-the-mill bank robbery. She watched the security footage, which showed how generic the heist really was: Masked man walks in weilding a gun. Teller hands over money. Man walks out. Police don't catch him.

Chloe stopped herself for a moment to think it over. Nothing was ever ordinary, and it wasn't a normal robbery. Some wannabe vigilante chased the guy and cornered him in a dead-end alley, and he still got away? The police had gotten there by then, and were in pursuit along with the vigilante. The police were on both ends of the street anyway, so how did he escape? Something wasn't right. She had to do more digging. She saved her findings, and gathered her things. She had some visiting to do. Her first stop: Mr. Vigilante.

---

"All I want to know is what happened. How you saw it go down," she said, stepping in front of him. First, he'd avoided the question. Then, he'd started blurting out that he saw what he saw, and that he wasn't crazy.

"How I saw it? What, you think I'm crazy too?" She began to shake her head no, but he continued anyway. "Don't patronize me. What I saw was real."

Chloe was getting annoyed. All she wanted was for him to explain what happened, and he kept insisting he wasn't crazy.

She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Listen, I don't think you're crazy. I just want to know what happened."

"The police think.." Chloe cut him off.

"I don't want to know what the police think you saw. Tell me what you know you saw."

He sighed as he told her everything he saw happen. How the robber had come in and left calmly, walked the street leisurely until he realized that he was being followed, and disappeared in the alleyway.

"What do you mean?"

"He disappeared into thin air." She looked confused, and the man panicked. "I'm not-- whatever, it's no use." With that, he walked away from her.

---

She returned to the alley where the crook had been cornered. She looked around for any evidence, but found none. She checked for methods of escape and found nothing. She furrowed her brow; she was hoping that there would be a trap door, or some other unconventional method of egress.

"I suppose you're looking for me." The voice came from behind her. She whipped around to see a man tossing--it couldn't be--a fireball in his hand? _You come from Smallville, Chloe. It's possible. _"Well, you found me." He threw the fireball straight at her. Luckily she ducked in time.

Suddenly, a pale blue light appeared, and Chloe closed her eyes.

"Care to try again?" a woman asked. All Chloe heard from then on was the man screaming, and... an explosion? She opened her eyes, only to see the strange light again.

"What the...?" She sighed and muttered, "Why me? Am I a magnet for weirdness?"

_So much for normality._

---

Clark listened intently as Chloe recounted the story to him. She was pretty creeped out, but he could tell that she would still keep digging until she had the entire story, and he knew what that meant. He'd have to be close enough to get to her within seconds, in case she got herself into a bad situation. He thought about something.

"You didn't recognize him at all?"

"No, Clark. Not at all." He knew it was true. If she had recognized him, she'd have had a file on him by now. But, that also meant that the man was most likely not a Smallville resident. _I hope LuthorCorp isn't doing anymore experiments with kryptonite._

"Chloe, maybe you should stay here. I mean, you can call in sick, can't you?" He knew that it was a horrible suggestion and she wouldn't take it, but he had no other ideas to keep her safe and figure out what was happening.

---

Chloe sat at her desk. She couldn't help but think about the story she was working on. Was it worth risking her life? She couldn't be sure that Clark could save her every time she got into trouble, and she didn't want him to have to. She knew how it affected him. It hurt him to know that he arrived in the nick of time.

She got up and headed to bed. She could investigate later. She'd taken Clark's advice and stopped working for a while. Perry just assumed that she had dug too deep and gotten herself hurt, as always. He was glad to give her time off; she'd never asked for it before. He said she worked too hard.

She crawled under the covers and drifted off.

---

"Just when I thought my charge was safe, she goes and gets herself attacked by a demon!" Paige said to her sisters, Phoebe and Piper. She was pacing the room while they were sitting at the kitchen table. Piper was irritated because Paige had been ranting about her new charge, and not noticing what was wrong with the demon course of action. That was more interesting. It seemed like an out-of-the-ordinary attack.

Piper opened her mouth to speak, but Paige wasn't done.

"Why did the elders assign me a reporter? She's going to keep digging, and she's going to get hurt! What am I going to do? She has no powers yet--" Piper finally had it and blew up the spot on the floor where Paige was about to step.

"Piper!"

"We get it! She's a handful. Now, let's focus on the demon," Piper interrupted. "You say he threw the fireball, missed, and didn't throw another one until you showed up?"

"Wait, that makes no sense. Most demons leave if they miss, or at least leave when we show up." Phoebe said.

"Well, this one obviously had no respect for us."

"Damn evil. No respect for the Charmed Ones," Piper said with a smirk. Paige cracked a smile. "I'm sorry for ranting about Chloe. It's just that, she lives in Kansas, so it's a lot harder to protect her and maintain my normal life here. I have no idea how Leo does it."

---

Clark was in his loft, listening out for Chloe. She'd insisted on going back to her apartment in Metropolis, and that usually meant that she was going to be researching. Nothing had happened so far, so he decided to relax more, and reclined on the couch.

He heard footsteps approaching and sat up. "Hey Clark," Chloe said before sitting in his lap and giving him a kiss that was more than friendly.

"Whoa. Chloe, what has gotten into you?" Then he suspected that something may have happened to her and he x-rayed her to check her vitals.

"Clark, are you x-raying me? If you wanted to see what's underneath my clothes, you could have asked," she smirked and leaned in to kiss him again, wrapping her arms around his neck.

Just then, Martha Kent walked into the barn. "Clark? Why don't you turn out the light and get some rest?" she called out. He broke Chloe's kiss and stood up quickly to look down at his mother. "I will. Goodnight, Mom." When he turned around to deal with Chloe, she was gone.

**To Be Continued.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Smallville & Charmed: not mine. This story's plot: mine.**

**_Author's note: I have a correction to make: There will only be spoilers up to Season 4 of Smallville. I haven't seen season 5.. LoL. Also, I'll try to keep the Charmed spoilers to a minimum.  
_**

Chapter Two

Chloe reluctantly got out of bed. She was exhausted even though she'd slept all night. _That's weird._ She took a long shower and washed her face. Then, she began her routine of picking an outfit. After picking an ouftit, she fixed her hair and applied her makeup. She was ready to start her day when the doorbell rang.

"Chlo', it's me. Let me in. I brought you coffee," her cousin said from the other side of the door.

Chloe opened the door and smiled at Lois. "Hey, cousin," she said as she took the cup of coffee. "Thanks for this."

"No problem. So, are you up for some lunch? I'm starving."

"Lunch? It's morning," Chloe said, looking at Lois with a puzzled look. "Has someone been drinking a little too much?"

"Umm, sweetie, it's almost 1:30."

"That's impossible. I just woke up."

"I guess I should be asking if _you've_ been drinking."

Chloe heard her stomach growl. "About lunch..."

* * *

Meanwhile, it wasmorning in San Francisco. Paige was up and about, and her sisters were also. It was a weekend, and Piper and Phoebe had decided to spend the day with Paige to cheer her up. She was having a really hard time dealing with her new charge. Phoebe could feel the stress. Being an empath was annoying at times, but it helped her realize how much Paige was going through. Thinking about it, Phoebe guessed that she would be stressed, too. "Phoebe, could you please get Paige before breakfast gets cold?" 

"Alright." Phoebe got up from her seat at the kitchen table and went to find her younger sister.

She found Paige on the couch with a laptop. "Hey, whatcha doin sis'?" She sat down next to her.

"Oh, just reading some of Chloe's articles."

"Why don't you stop researching your charge, and come eat breakfast with us!"

"Of course I will."

In a swirl of blue light, she was gone.

"Hey! No orbing for personal gain!"

* * *

Chloe smiled at her cousin as they sat. She took the last bite of her pancakes--Lois had been smart enough to take her to a diner--and a sip of coffee. 

"So, what are you gonna do today? You've sufficiently slept in and taken in massive amounts of caffeine, so you should be all set," Lois said.

"I'm probably just going to head to Smallville and hang out with Clark,"

"What, no investigative journalism today?"

"Probably. But I just want to relax for a while. You know, do something that doesn't involve serious research."

"Well, we can take my car. I was headed there anyway."

* * *

A few hours later, they were in Smallville. They pulled up to the Talon, and Chloe walked in. "I'll meet you at the farm," Lois said. Chloe chuckled. She would never have imagined those words coming from Lois Lane. 

She got herself a cup of coffee and sipped it. She was still really tired, and the coffee wasn't helping that much. She felt that she was going to fall asleep, so she got up and walked around town. A car pulled up next to her. She knew who it was. No one in this town had an Aston Martin.

"Need a ride?" Lex asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. Please take me to the Kent farm," she said. She didn't feel like walking. _What was Lois thinking? How was I supposed to get there? _She got in the car and slammed the door.

She was silent for the whole ride. Mostly because she was tired, but even if she wasn't, she wouldn't have said a word. She didn't trust him. When they arrived, she got out the car and threw him a $20 dollar bill. "So I don't owe you anything. Thanks for the ride." Lex looked at her for a moment, and drove off. She walked into the house, and found Lois and Mrs. Kent sitting in the kitchen. "Chloe, did you walk here?" Lois asked. "I was going to come get you. I was joking about meeting you here."

"Don't worry. I had Lex drive me here. You think $20 is enough for a ride from the Talon to here?" Lois looked puzzled. "Never mind. Is Clark around?"

"I'm right here," he said from behind her. "Can we talk?" he asked.

"Uhh, sure," she said. She had no idea what he wanted to talk about, but he was very serious.

* * *

They ascended the stairs and entered his bedroom. 

Chloe yawned. "Sorry,"

"Didn't get enough sleep?" Clark asked.

"Acutally, I did. It's weird. I went to bed pretty early last night, and I overslept. Maybe I need to lay off the caffeine for a while."

Clark had been listening to her heartbeat the entire time that she was talking. There had been no change, so it was safe to assume that she was telling the truth, and that she was really Chloe.

"So, what did you need to talk to me about?"

"It's nothing, never mind. If you want to get some rest, you can sleep here. I'll take you home when you're ready."

"Superspeed?"

"No, the old fashioned way: the truck."

"You're no fun."

Clark had a feeling that something happened to Chloe. He wasn't sure what, but it had to have started in that alley. Once she had fallen asleep, Clark ran to Metropolis. He'd looked around the alley, and found nothing. He made his way to Chloe's apartment, and found the door locked. He was tempted to break the lock, but he didn't want to do that to Chloe. It was expensive to replace locks. He thought for a moment, and then ran to find the building's superintendent.

The man was lazily taking out his trash, the keys to all of the building's apartments hanging from his pants. Clark snatched them from the belt loop, hurried to find the key to Chloe's apartment, and ran back to the door. He unlocked it, and looked around. Closing the door, he looked in her bedroom. There was nothing out of the ordinary at all. He was even more confused. What the hell could explain what happened?

* * *

**Three days later...**

Paige was talking to Leo. He'd been a whitelighter before, so she figured that he'd be the best person to talk to about her new charge.

"She's a reporter, she's constantly snooping around places, and she constantly gets in trouble. It wasn't too bad, but for some reason there's a sudden surge in demon activity in Metropolis, and she could have gotten killed by that demon yesterday."

"No, I think the demon wanted to lure you out," Leo said. "It's happened before. Separate the Power of Three, and then attack. There could be something much bigger going on."

"Wait, what about when I first found out I was a witch? What if, her powers are going to emerge soon and evil's trying to sway her?"

"You're going to need to watch her more often," Leo said.

"As if I didn't feel like a stalker already..." she said as she orbed out.

* * *

**That night...  
**

Chloe had found another story; it was connected to the bank robbery. Apparently, there was a new crime lord in power in Metropolis, and she intended to expose him. She'd done enough research, and was now sneaking around the building that was his hideout. She couldn't wait to give the entire city his name. She'd found a way into the building and was about to enter when someone came up behind her.

"Who are you? What are you doing here?" the man said. Chloe got nervous. It was the same man who had attacked her--or so she thought. Paige was watching and knew otherwise. She hated shapeshifter demons, but this did confirm both her and Leo's suspicions. There was something greater at work, and Chloe was at the center of it. She was about to reveal herself when someone came out of the door behind Chloe. She was unsure of what she should do.

Chloe whipped around. "You again!" he exclaimed. He conjured an energy ball, and threw it. Chloe ducked, but it made contact with its intended target: the gunman behind her. It didn't kill him, however. The man was just knocked unconscious.

"Look, you need to get out of here," he said. There were more men coming out. The demon kept knocking them out one at a time until they started coming out as groups. Soon, they were surrounded.

Chloe was afraid. She was surrounded by guns and someone she wasn't sure she could trust. All of a sudden, the man grabbed her hand, and shimmered out.

Paige quickly orbed to the manor.

* * *

"Phoebe! Piper! Are you here? I need your help!" 

Her sisters quickly arrived.

"Are you hurt?" Phoebe asked.

"No. It's just that my charge has been taken by a demon," Paige said.

"What! How could you let that happen!"

"I couldn't expose myself to all the thugs that were there!"

"What? Slow down! Tell us everything," Piper said.

"I don't have time. All I can tell you is that there's a demon involved."

"Why didn't you vanquish him?"

"I don't know. I hesitated!"

"Alright, we can't change the past, but we can find her. He's not going to take her to the Underworld just yet, and he's not going to take her out of Metropolis either," Phoebe said. "Paige, go get something of hers from her apartment, and then ask Billie to use her GPS scrying system."

Without a word, Paige orbed to Chloe's apartment and grabbed a hairbrush. Then, she orbed to Billie's dorm.

"Billie? Are you here?" she said, looking around. "I need your help. It's urgent."

Billie emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel.

"Paige, what's wrong?"

"I need you to scry for someone." She handed Billie the hairbrush.

"Why can't you do it?"

"Scry first, questions later," Paige said.

Billie took the brush and used it to scry. The computer screen showed a location in Metropolis, Kansas.

"Thanks," Paige said as she grabbed the brush and orbed out.

* * *

Chloe listened as the man, who introduced himself as Jack, apologized for throwing the fireball at her. 

"I thought you were the one sent to kill me," he said. "Well, I found out otherwise when she showed up a moment later."

"Like this?" there was a pale bluish light like the one she had seen the day before and a woman suddenly appeared.

"What the--?" Chloe said.

"I know what you're doing, and you can't have her. Leave her alone," the woman said. "I won't let you get to her."

"If we can't have her, then she'll just have to die. You can't orb her out in time," he said, another sphere of electricity appearing in his hand, aimed directly at Chloe.

The woman held out her hand. "Energy ball!" Suddenly, the sphere appeared in her hand, and she threw it at Jack. He burst into flames, staring at Paige in surprise. "What? You didn't know I was a Charmed One?" she asked him just before he exploded.

Chloe was scared. First Jack tried to kill her, then he saved her, only to try to kill her again. Would this woman do the same?

"Chloe, are you okay?" the woman asked.

"How do you know my name?" She noticed that the woman had something in her other hand. "Is that my hairbrush?"

"I'll explain, but not here. Take my hand." Chloe took a step back. "If I was going to kill you, I would have done so in the alley. Please, take my hand, I'll explain everything in a minute."

Chloe took her hand and was surrounded by the strange lights. A moment later, they were in a house. "Where are we?" she asked.

"We're in my house. Well, the house that I share with my sisters," the woman said. "Hi, I'm Paige Matthews. It's nice to officially meet you."

* * *

"Officially? What do you mean?" 

"Well, I've kinda been watching you for the past week," Paige said.

"Umm, why?"

Paige sighed. This was going to take a while. "Did you have any plans for tonight? If you did, you're gonna have to cancel."

Chloe looked at her watch. "It's 1am. Who makes plans for 1am?"

Paige gave Chloe a nervous grin. "Actually, it's 11 here."

"Where are we, California?"

"San Francisco, to be exact," Paige said.

**To be continued.**

**A/N: So, what do you think? Reviews please! **


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note: The last chapter was pretty long, huh? I'll try to make the chapters after this longer, but I can't promise anything. And, please, if you like this story, leave a review. It really helps.**

Chapter Three

Paige sighed. It had been a long night. It was 2am; she'd been pleading with Chloe to hear her out for hours. She finally gave up; they could talk in the morning. She wasn't going to take Chloe home until they talked, so she was asleep in Paige's bed. She and Piper were sitting in the hallway keeping watch in case a demon tried to take Chloe, or the young girl tried to run. They were talking about what Paige was going to say in the morning. Soon Phoebe came and sat with them.

"What are you going to say? I mean, you said that you haven't observed any of her powers, so you can't appeal to her that way. It's going to be pretty tough to explain the whole situation," Phoebe said.

Meanwhile, Clark materialized on the staircase. "Chloe?" he said as he ascended the stairs. The sisters looked in his direction as he came toward them. "Where is she?" All of a sudden, Chloe appeared in the hallway, her back toward them. The sisters stammered and were confused. "Okay, hold it!" Piper held out her hands to freeze them, but only Clark froze. Phoebe walked into Paige's room, suspicious of something. Before Paige could say or do anything, Chloe disappeared, along with Clark.

Paige just stood there, stunned.

* * *

A few hours later, Chloe woke up and was unsure of where she was. Then she remembered the previous night's events. She sighed. She decided to listen to what Paige had to say; it seemed like the only way she would get home. Then, she thought about calling Clark. She tried to rid herself of the thought. He would probably make matters worse. She reached for her cellphone and realized she'd left it at home to avoid getting caught last night. She couldn't call him if she wanted to. She wasn't sure about talking to Paige just yet. She wanted to forget the night before. She got up even though she was exhausted, but instead of going to find Paige, she paced around the room.

"Okay, Chloe. There have been worse things. Remember, you come from Smallville," she told herself.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room, Phoebe and Piper were explaining Chloe's powers to Paige.

"Well, all evidence points to astral projection," Phoebe said. "I went into the room, and she was asleep while all of it was going on. It's almost exactly like what happened to Prue. Minus ruining Piper's wedding, and making out at a trashy bar, and--."

"Okay, okay, but what about the demon?" Piper asked.

"I don't think that was a demon. Chloe knows him. I've seen her with him." Paige said.

"Okay, so who is he?" Phoebe asked.

"Her best friend, Clark."

"In that case, he's pretty hot." Phoebe said.

"You're telling me," Paige said and smirked. Soon, she and Phoebe were laughing.

"Okay, now that you've both agreed that he's hot, can we focus on how he got here?" Piper said with a grin. "Besides, he's too young for you two."

"How who got here?" Chloe said casually, as if she had known them her entire life. "Who's hot?"

"Oh, umm..." Phoebe and Piper said simultaneously.

"Nobody," Paige said quickly. "We really need to talk, Chloe."

"I know."

"She's very curious," Phoebe said. Paige looked at her. "What? I can't help it!"

"Okay, how did she know that?" Chloe asked.

"You're feeling it, right?" Chloe nodded. "So is she." Chloe gave her a confused look. "This is why we need to talk. Have a seat." She gestured toward an unoccupied seat, and Chloe sat.

"Last night, I told you I've been watching you. You wanted to know why. I'm your whitelighter," Paige said.

"My what?"

"Whitlelighter. Just think of me as your guardian angel. I'm going to help you--" Paige paused, unsure of what to say.

Chloe could tell that something was wrong. "Help me what?" she asked.

"Be patient. This is very difficult for her," Phoebe said, sensing that Chloe was losing patience.

"Because, whitelighters are assigned to future whitelighters, and witches," Piper chimed in.

"And you're part of the latter," Phoebe finished.

"So much for me telling her," Paige said.

"Sorry, but she was really annoyed. I mean, you brought her here and won't let her go home until you talk, and--"

"Phoebe!" Piper glared at her.

"Sorry. I can't help it if that's how she feels."

"But you can control yourself! Stop being so nosy!"

Paige looked at Chloe. "Excuse my sisters. But, they did tell you the truth."

"A witch? You have got to be kidding me." Chloe stared at her in disbelief.

* * *

An hour later, the sisters had managed to explain to Chloe about her powers, magic, and the whole "good vs. evil" concept. They told her about demons and warlocks, and she listened attentively. She was curious as to who these women were. They knew so much about this stuff, but they never explained how.

"Okay, I've been here for a while, and I don't know much about the three of you."

"Sorry," Phoebe said. "Phoebe Halliwell, and that's Piper Halliwell."

"Are you whitelighters too?" Chloe asked, curiously.

"Nope, just witches."

"And, to be technical, I'm half-witch, half-whitelighter," Paige explained.

"Oh. So, what can you guys do?" Chloe asked.

"I levitate, and get premonitions," Phoebe said. Paige and Piper looked at her. "What? She's actually okay with all of this, and she's very curious." She noticed Chloe was a little uneasy. "Oh, I'm also an empath. What you feel, I feel."

"Paige, what's that thing you do? With the lights?" Chloe asked, now interested.

Paige smiled and orbed behind Chloe. "That?" Chloe nodded. "That's orbing. All whitelighters orb." Paige said with a smile.

Chloe looked at Piper, expecting her to tell about her powers. "What is this? Show and tell?" Piper asked. She was not going to put herself on display like her sisters did.

"Hey, have you guys ever been to Smallville?"

"No. Why?"

Chloe grinned. "Because you'd fit in perfectly." They looked at her, expecting her to explain what she meant, but she didn't. "Clark would get a kick out of this," Chloe said.

Suddenly, Clark appeared in the room. He disappeared just as quickly.

"Okay, that throws out the demon theory," Piper said.

Phoebe spoke up. "I guess it's another ability that she has. She wanted him to be here, so she created him."

"Okay, so how does it work?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know. Your powers are triggered by your emotions. You have to figure out how to control them. That's how we did it." Paige said and checked the time. "I think I should orb you home. That was our agreement." She held out her hand. "Besides, you need some time to think about what you've just learned. You may have more questions, and we'll have to talk again, but you can decide when you want to."

"Our only request is that keep our secret. Please don't tell anyone about who we are or what we do," Piper said.

Chloe nodded as she took Paige's hand. In a matter of seconds, they were in Chloe's apartment. "Oh, wait, I almost forgot," Paige said and orbed out. A second later she orbed back in with Chloe's hairbrush.

"You never did explain why you had this," Chloe said, holding it up.

"We'll talk once you've had a chance to think about everything," Paige told her. "If you need me, just call my name. I'll orb to you, wherever you are." In a swirl of lights, she was gone.

Chloe sat at her desk. She had some research to do. She was just about to turn on her computer when she noticed her cellphone was blinking. She had three messages and even more missed calls. When she had finished checking her voicemail, the phone rang. Chloe looked at the caller ID and ignored it. She yawned again. She really wanted to sleep. Deciding that she could research later, she got up and went to bed, not caring about what time it was.

**To be continued.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: Okay, I hope you liked the last chapter. Also, to clear things up with the Smallville stuff in the story: everything in Season 4 happened, except that Lana still has the mark of transference on her back, and she is still inhabited by the Countess. Lana and Clark were together and broke up, like in Season 5. Chloe knows Clark's secret, and Clark knows that she does, like in Season 5.**_

* * *

Chapter Four

It had been five days since Chloe's encounter with the sisters. She'd thought about her whole situation. Ever since she'd discovered that some of her dreams really happened, she'd been worried about one night in particular. She'd been dreaming that she was in Clark's loft, and she'd been really forward with him. If the sisters were right, then it had really happened, because that was when the fatigue started. What was she going to do? Perhaps it was best to forget about it, because Clark would have mentioned it by now.

"Sullivan!" Perry White's voice cut through her thoughts. "In my office, now." She navigated the path to the office, nervous about his reasons for calling her there. There was silence for a moment. "Sit," he instructed, motioning to the chair across his desk. He took a deep breath. "Chloe, I'm giving you a month off," he said.

"What? Why?"

"I think you need one. You've been working really hard, and you need time off, especially with the work you've been doing lately." At the last sentence, his tone changed. He'd purposely lowered his voice. She'd noticed that, and regarded him with slight suspicion. "As of now, you're officially on a paid leave. You can go anywhere, and do anything," he said. With that, he dismissed her.

As she walked out of his office, Chloe couldn't help but think that her powers had a hand in what just happened. But, she was glad that she'd managed to avoid more evident mishaps. She needed to get a grip on her abilities. She now empathized with Clark. Was this what he'd felt all those years? She'd assumed it was worse for him, since a few of his abilities could kill someone.

* * *

Clark was in the barn doing chores. He heard a car approach; it was Chloe. He ran out to greet her. 

"Chloe! What a great surprise," Clark said. "How have you been?"

"I'm okay. This week was... interesting. Perry is giving me a month off," she told him.

"Why?" Clark asked. Had something happened to her? Was she working too hard? All the possible reasons that Perry White would let Chloe go ran through his head. Maybe he'd fired her and Chloe was being optimistic. Clark eliminated the last thought. Chloe was an excellent reporter, and Perry knew that. He would be crazy to fire her.

"He said I needed a break. I don't care what he says, though. I'm still going to do work. If I find a story, I am going to investigate."

"Wow. That's a surprise," he said sarcastically.

"Anyway," she said, dismissing his comment, "I think I'll take this opportunity to travel. I think I'll go on a road trip."

"Really? Where to?" Clark asked.

"I don't know. Maybe I'll go to California and scope out the beaches," she said. "Do you think I could pass for a surfer chick?"

"No. I think you should be yourself... and behave yourself. Maybe I'll come with you to make sure of the last one," he told her. She smiled. It might be fun having Clark around, but she couldn't take him with her. She was going to see Paige and her sisters, and she wanted to get everything straight before she even considered telling him about her new powers.

"Well, maybe you can visit me," she said, "but I don't want you to leave here just because of me. I'll be back soon enough, and we'll have lots to talk about. Besides, I'll have my cellphone. We'll keep in touch." Clark noticed something about her tone and demeanor, and it worried him. She was talking as if she was trying to convince herself of what she was saying. Was she planning on going for good? What was happening to her? He tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes.

"Promise me that you'll come back," he said. "Can you do that? For me? Please?" He was pleading with her. "I don't know what I'll do if another of my best friends leaves." She was unresponsive. "Chloe?" She nodded before speaking.

"Clark, I'll come back," she said.He smiled at her and gave her a hug.

"When are you planning to leave?" he asked her. He wanted to hang out with her before she left.

"In the morning, so I can try to beat traffic."

"Oh," Clark said, "So soon?"

"I don't want to waste any time." She took a look at her watch, and smiled. "Well, I'd better get going. I have a few more goodbyes, and I have to pack." She turned toward the farm house. "Is your mom home? I want to see her before I leave." He nodded, and she was off into the house.

* * *

As Chloe walked into the Talon, Lana smiled. "Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. How are you?" 

"Can't complain," Chloe said. "Any episodes with Isobel lately?" she asked, referring to the 17th century witch that Lana had been harboring. Chloe still didn't comprehend the entire situation, but was interested in it anyway. She was especially intrigued now that she'd learned

"No, thankfully," Lana replied. "And I'd like to keep it that way. So, the usual?"

"Oh, no thanks. I just stopped by to say goodbye," Chloe said.

"Where are you going?" Lana asked.

"I'm not sure yet. When I get there, I'll get you a souvenir."

Lana smiled. "That would be nice." Neither of them realized that Lois had come in.

"Well, I should get going, I still have a lot of packing to do," Chloe said.

"Alright. I'll see you when you get back."

"Whoa, hold the fire. Get back from where, Chlo?"

"Lois, I was just about to come see you," Chloe said. She'd wanted to talk to her cousin in private, and Lois probably wouldn't budge without an explanation. "Can we go talk in private?" Lois was about to protest, but decided against it, and went with her cousin to the upstairs apartment.

"Okay, so now that we're in private, I'll ask once again. Where are you going?" Lois sounded angry.

"You can't tell anyone. I told Clark and Mrs. Kent, but that's it. I'm going to California."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I guess because I want to," Chloe said. "I need to." Lois studied her cousin's face. She was determined to go, so Lois would let her go.

"Just be careful, okay? How long will you be gone?"

"I don't know yet, maybe a month, maybe not. It depends on how much I like it there," Chloe explained. "But, I want you to come hang out with me when I get there," she said.

"Of course. Hey, why don't you get on one of Daddy's super-fast government planes that's not supposed to exist? You'll be there in no time."

"Then it wouldn't be a road trip," Chloe said.

"You can't go on a road trip by yourself! Are you nuts? What happens if you decide to rest somewhere and get kidnapped?"

"Lois, give me a hug, and wish me luck. I'm going home to pack. You can't talk me out of this," Chloe said with a smile. "I'm coming back, you know," Chloe told her.

"I know, I know," Lois said. "But how am I supposed to deal with Smallville? Come on Chloe, don't leave me here!"

"One, you and Clark need to stop the bickering, and two, you like it here, even if you don't want to admit it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go home and do some packing." With that, they went back into the Talon, and Chloe left.

When she got home, Chloe found someone sitting in front of the building. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Jimmy?" She couldn't believe it. Jimmy Olsen was waiting at her front door. She thought she loved him once, but it was a summer fling.

"Hey, Chloe," he said. "I'm sorry for just showing up like this, but I have to talk to you." Chloe noticed that he was nervous and a bit unsure of himself—more so than usual.

"Is everything alright?" she asked him. He took a few steps closer and kissed her. After a moment, he broke the kiss

"No, it's not. Ever since that summer, I've thought about you. I've missed talking to you, being with you. I'm sorry if I've seemed rude since I started working at the planet this week, but I couldn't talk to you. I mean, what was I going to say? I didn't mean to lose touch with you, but, things started to change after a while. We started to have fewer and fewer conversations because of school, and I just... I don't know what happened." He looked at her in earnest. When she didn't speak, he walked away.

He was across the street and almost out of her sight when she finally decided that she wanted him to stay.

"Jimmy!" She wasn't sure of what to do now; she could barely see him. She called out again, and he stopped. "Jimmy, come back!" she shouted. He turned around, and she motioned for him to return. He hurried back to her, and she gave him a hug. "Come upstairs and we'll talk," she said when they finally broke apart.

* * *

"Wow. This is nice," Jimmy said as they entered. She closed and locked the door and told him to sit down. He sat on the couch, and she sat on the end opposite him, looking at him, seriously. He cleared his throat, and spoke up. 

"Chloe, I'm not asking for us to go back to the way it was. We can't do that, and I don't want to. What I want is for you to give me a chance. I want to see where this could go. It's all up to you. Whatever you want to do, I'll go with," he said.

"This is really bad timing," she said. He looked at her, as if to ask why. "I'm going away for a month."

"Where?" he asked.

"I don't know yet. Wherever the road takes me, I guess." He looked disappointed, but the expression quickly changed.

"We'll make it work. I'll be here when you get back," he said, "and, we'll keep in touch this time. When are you leaving?"

"In the morning," she said. He looked less optimistic, and got up to leave.

"Well, I guess I should let you get ready for that," he said. She stood up to let him out, and he gave her a kiss to say goodbye. It was supposed to be a friendly kiss, but somehow it deepened. Chloe's cellphone rang and interrupted them.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Chloe, it's Lois. What time are you leaving in the morning?"

"I'll probably start out at around 8 or so. Why?" She looked up at Jimmy apologetically and noticed the look in his eyes. She barely noticed what Lois was saying because she was trying to decipher it.

"Actually, Chlo, I have to go now," was all she understood. She hung up and asked Jimmy what was wrong.

"Nothing," he said. "I just don't want to do anything that you don't want to do." Chloe considered his words and what she wanted. She looked up into his eyes and kissed him. Soon, his hands were at her hips, pulling her shirt off. He let his fingertips graze her skin and he pulled her closer to him. Soon, they were heading to her bedroom.

* * *

At the Kent Farm

"Smooth, Lois. Very smooth," Clark said. "I told you I should have been the one to call."

"It doesn't matter, now we know when. So, here's the plan: we're going to see if we can get your mom to make breakfast for us, and then we'll head for Metropolis bright and early. We wake Chloe up, surprise her with breakfast and coffee, and voilà! The perfect send-off!"

"She's going to kill us," Clark said. "I'm going to go write my will."

"Okay, you do that. I'm going to call Lana and see if she'll come." She noticed Clark's hesitation. "Don't worry, if you want, you can drive your truck, and I'll drive Lana in my car."

Clark walked away from her, heading to the house to tell his mother what the plan was. As soon as he'd told her, she'd gotten excited. She planned to make Chloe a really special breakfast, along with snacks for her drive. Chloe had become like a daughter to her, so Martha wanted to give her the traditional maternal send-off.

"Mom, I think you're going overboard," Clark said.

"I think I'll go with you in the morning, just to make sure Chloe has all that she needs for her trip."

"I don't think that's such a good idea. I'm pretty sure that she's going to be pretty angry when we show up in her apartment unannounced. You don't want to hear the things that she can say, Mom," Clark said with a slight grin. "But, I'll give her the speech for you."

Lois came into the kitchen, and went over to Clark. "If you even think about warning her about this, I will make your life a living hell until she gets back."

"You're doing that now, so it doesn't really matter, now does it?"

**To be continued...**

* * *

_**So, what do you think? Reviews please! Constructive criticism welcome.**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Author's note:**** I hope you like this story so far. Like I'm going to keep saying: If you like it, review. If you don't like it, leave criticism or something.**_

_**Oh, and I don't have to put a disclaimer on every chapter, do I?**_

* * *

Chapter Five

"Whose brilliant idea was this?" Lois asked, yawning. It was 6am, and they were in front of Chloe's building. Clark had gotten her up at 2am to prepare for the drive to Metropolis, and she apparently fell asleep because she usually liked to drive, but instead, she woke up in the back seat. Lana was in the passenger seat, sitting silently. Clark parked around the corner, so that Chloe couldn't see them through her window, in case she was awake. "Good idea," Lana commented.

He nodded, unsure of what to say. Then, he got out of the car to let Lois and Lana out. He grabbed the picnic basket containing all the food and locked the car.

They hurried to the door and took the stairs instead of the elevator. When they were close to the door to the apartment, Lois put a finger to her lips and crept up to it. She slowly unlocked it, trying not to make a sound. She beckoned to Lana and Clark, implying that they should hurry in. Clark let Lana go first, and then walked in as stealthily as he could. Lois locked the door in the same manner as she unlocked it. Then, she headed toward Chloe's bedroom. Clark pointed to the basket and the table in Chloe's kitchen, indicating that he was going to set the food out. He didn't want to make the situation even worse.

* * *

Chloe slept peacefully; her powers were in check for now. Jimmy's arm was around her waist as she slept. Lois carefully opened the door a bit, and noticed that Chloe was sound asleep. A mischievous smile played across her face as she and Lana walked over to Chloe's bed and gently shook her cousin awake. Neither she nor Lana could really see the room very well, but that's what she wanted; she would spook Chloe and then they'd have a laugh afterward. "Hmm?" was all Chloe could manage. Her eyes adjusted to the lack of adequate lighting, and noticed that there were two people standing in front of her. She was alarmed; were they demons? As her eyes further adjusted, she realized that they were two women. She assumed that Paige had brought her sister. Then, she prepared for bad news. After all, they wouldn't show up like that without a reason. "Surprise!" Lois said. Chloe calmed down, now a bit annoyed. 

"Lois? What are you doing here?" she said as she watched Lois go to a window and open the blinds. As light came into the room, she recognized the other person standing to be Lana.

"Oh, my," Lana said, noticing that Chloe wasn't alone in bed. Lois looked away from her task to see what Lana was 'Oh, my'-ing about; she looked in the direction Lana was staring, and stood there. "Oh," was all she could manage.

Chloe tried to get out of bed without disturbing Jimmy, but was unsuccessful. He'd noticed and grabbed her hand. "Not so fast," he said, his eyes still closed. He pulled her back into bed. Lana snickered, and although they were trying to muffle the sounds they made, Jimmy heard her. He opened his eyes to see two girls leave the room. "Yeah, that's why I was trying to get up," she told him. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and got up to find a pair of pajama pants. He sat up too, and put his pants on.

She sighed and went to face the myriad of questions that Lois and Lana were going to ask. As she emerged from the room, she was surprised to see Clark in the kitchen. She looked to the living room, where Lana and Lois were sitting on the couch, grinning. Lois spoke first. "I distinctly remember seeing him earlier this week. What's his name again?"

"Jimmy," Chloe replied. Lana's grin slightly faded as she tried to figure out how she knew the name.

"Wait, what?" Clark chimed in. "What did I miss?" Lois ignored him, and started to speak.

Lana cut her off, finally remembering. "Chloe, is that... Internship Jimmy?" Chloe kicked herself for ever telling Lana his name, but nodded in response to the question.

"Okay, hello? Like I said before: what's going on?" Chloe had hoped Clark wouldn't ask. Then, Clark got his answer when Jimmy came out of the bedroom. He turned around and saw Jimmy. "Oh," Clark said. "Jimmy, right?"

"Yeah," Jimmy said. "It's Clark, isn't it?" he asked, hoping that he'd remembered correctly. He looked down at the kitchen table, noticing the array of food. "Did you make all this?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, no. My mother did."

Suddenly, the room got silent. Jimmy and Clark could no longer hold a conversation, and Lois and Lana were just staring at Jimmy. "Well, I'm going to go now," he said, walking over to Chloe. He gave her a kiss on the cheek, and retrieved his shirt from beneath the couch. Once the door closed, Clark spoke up before Lana and Lois could start interrogating Chloe.

"Um, I think we should start eating before this food gets cold," he said. Chloe knew what he meant. She translated it as 'I can't keep using my heat vision on this food,' and sat down, ready to dig in.

"Clark, I can't believe that your mother made all of this for me. I'll have to thank her." Almost as soon as she spoke the words, Clark was handing her the phone. "You're welcome, Chloe. I hope you like it. Have a good trip. Are you all packed?" Chloe panicked at the question. She hadn't packed yet!

"Yeah," Chloe lied.

"Okay, well make sure you have a light sweater in case it gets chilly there. Oh, and be sure to..."

Chloe looked up at Clark, who smiled. He knew exactly what his mother was telling her. After a few "Yes, Mrs. Kent"s, she'd given up and continued eating, answering further questions with "Mm-hmm." Finally, Martha was done with the talk and said goodbye.

"Bye Mrs. Kent. I'll see you when I get back." When Chloe hung up, she'd had her fill of food, and excused herself from the table to start packing. However, when she got to her bedroom, her bag was packed. She smiled to herself. She was really starting to like her powers. She turned around and joined her friends again.

"So, you guys drove for three hours, just to give me breakfast?"

"It was my idea," Lois said. "But, back to Jimmy. What does Lana know that I don't? I thought you just met him?"

"I never said that," Chloe shot back.

"She didn't tell you about--?" Lana asked Lois. Chloe glared in her direction. Lana quickly shut her mouth.

"Whoa, look at the time," Clark said, standing up. "I think it's time to go. Chloe has to get ready for her drive." Chloe looked at him, smiling.

"Yeah. I think we should get going," Lana said as she got up. Lois was outnumbered: two to one. They were leaving, even if she didn't want to. She sighed and wished she made Clark take his truck. "Alright." She got up and hurried out the door. Lana and Clark went after her. Once they were out, Lois erupted. "Okay, Lana. Tell me who this Jimmy guy is," she said.

"I'm sorry Lois, but it's not my place to tell you." Clark held the driver's door open for Lois, and then helped Lana into the passenger's seat. He stood there for a moment, thinking. "I'll take a bus home," he said. Lana looked at him, wondering what he was up to.

* * *

Lois drove off, and Clark sped up to Chloe's apartment. He knocked, and when she opened the door, he stepped in. "Let me take you," he said. "It'll be a lot quicker, and I'll know that you got there safely." 

"Thanks for the offer, Clark, but I want to have my car with me when I get there."

"I'll carry your car then."

"Clark, I know that you're fast and all, but I doubt that someone won't notice a floating car. Unless I pack it in my suitcase--" She heard a thud in her bedroom. "One second." She hurried into her room, and saw a miniature of her car on the floor. She looked out the window to look for her car, but the space it occupied was now empty. "Okay, okay.. You can fix this, Chlo." She closed her eyes, and waited a moment before opening again. The car was still on the floor. Great. Now what was she going to do?

"Is everything okay in there?" he asked.

"Uh.. yeah." Chloe quickly picked up the car, and slipped it into a compartment in her suitcase. "You know, maybe you should take me," she said, grabbing her suitcase. She made sure that everything was in place and the door was locked before allowing him to lift her up.

"Hold on," he said, grabbing her suitcase. She got a firm grip around his neck, and they were gone.

**To be continued.**

* * *

_**So, what do you think? Reviews please!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's note:**** Hey, guys. I hope you like it. Sorry it took so long. I had writer's block. I rewrote this chapter about 5 times. Please leave reviews.**_

Chapter Six

Clark flopped on the couch as soon as he got home. He'd gotten Chloe to San Francisco safely and was glad for that. She'd be gone for an entire month; he really was going to miss her.

"Hey, farm boy," Lois said as she walked in. "What did you and my cousin talk about?"

"Nothing much; I just wanted to give her a proper farewell, which you failed to do because you were too busy grilling her about Jimmy." Lois looked at him in disbelief. She glared daggers at him.

"Of course I was going to! I hadn't heard of him until earlier this week! He's the new guy at the _Planet_, and that's all I know! All of a sudden, Lana remembers something about him. Of all people, Lana. How could she tell Lana and not tell me!" She paced around, angrily.

"That should be something that can wait, Lois! Come on, she's going almost 2000 miles away and all you could think to do was ask her about him. You're her cousin, you know that she wasn't going to tell you. Why couldn't you just wish her well? You weren't the only person to be shocked when he came out of that room, you know!"

"What is going on?" The two stopped arguing and whipped around to face Clark's mother. "Is everything alright? How did your breakfast with Chloe go?"

"Fine," the two said. Martha looked at them with suspicion, but let it go. She could tell that something was going on with both of them, but she walked away.

As Martha walked away, Lois turned back to him. He ignored her and went to talk to his mother.

* * *

Martha Kent listened closely as her son told her everything that happened at Chloe's apartment. She was glad that her son had realized that Lana Lang wasn't the one for him, and that he'd fallen in love with someone else. Unfortunately, he hadn't realized that he was in love yet. She was glad that it was Chloe; she wouldn't have to worry about his safety. Chloe would keep and protect his secret. But, how was she going to help Clark realize that he was falling for Chloe?

"I really wish she'd told me about him. I would have stopped Lois from showing up unannounced," he said. "It was very awkward."

"Clark," Martha started, "tell me how you felt when you realized the situation."

"I was surprised to see him.." he started, preparing to tell a lie. However, Martha gave him a look, one that ordered him to tell the truth. He couldn't stand it when she did that. Martha looked at him, amused. He lowered his eyes in an attempt to avoid answering her question.

"Like I said," she began, "There's someone out there for you."

* * *

The car pulled up to the Halliwell manor. Chloe retrieved her belongings and got out. She paid the driver and walked up to the door. She stood there for a moment, hesitating, and then rang the doorbell. A young girl answered the door.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking for Paige Matthews. I'm Chloe Sullivan. I'm a... friend," Chloe said, not knowing what to say.

"One moment," she said and closed the door. Chloe stood there, waiting. The door finally opened again. This time it was Paige.

"Hey, Chloe. How did you get here?"

"I took a cab," Chloe said as she entered the manor.

"You took a cab from Metropolis?"

"No, I took a cab from" _Golden Gate Park. No, you idiot. How are you going to explain how you got to Golden Gate Park? _"the airport."

"You got on a plane? Why? I could have just orbed you,"

"Well, my boss gave me a month off anyway, so I decided that I would come and see California," Chloe told her.

"Who was at the door?" Piper said as she came into the room.

"I was," Chloe said with a small wave.

"How do you know where we live?" she asked. She was slightly suspicious of Chloe, who was suppressing a laugh. It wasn't very difficult for her.

"I looked it up." Piper was still skeptical. "I guess I should have called first." What was with them? Paige was starting to get suspicious as well. It was starting to irritate Chloe.

Phoebe came down the stairs, and stopped in her tracks in the middle of the staircase.

"Listen, I'm sorry if I did something wrong, but I wanted to get here the normal way. Taking a cab and ringing the doorbell is as normal as it gets. Orbing is pretty cool, but I'm not sure if I like this magic stuff yet. These powers aren't exactly fun."

Phoebe spoke up. "Wow. She's really ticked off." Chloe looked up at her.

"Hmm.. I wonder why? Maybe it's because my dreams are supposed to be just that: DREAMS! Or, could it be that I planned to take a road trip here, but my stupid powers shrunk my car!"

Chloe was too busy ranting to notice that the car was floating in front of her. She just pointed at it to make her point. She finally realized what was happening and grabbed it.

"I rest my case," she said. "What am I going to do about these powers?" She was flustered, and tired. She'd been forcing herself to avoid spectacles like the one that just occurred. It had been stressing her out.

"You know, you don't have to keep them. I can strip you of them," Paige told me. Chloe thought about this for a moment; she wouldn't have to worry about losing control of them. Then again, she really wanted to learn more about them and discover how they work.

"I don't think I want that," Chloe said.

"I can also bind them. So, you'll have them, but you won't be able to use them until someone unbinds them."

"No, I don't want that either. I came here to ask if you could help me control them." Paige smiled. "Sorry that I went crazy."

"It's perfectly alright. Trust me, my sisters have been worse."

* * *

Clark had been sitting in his loft, thinking about his mother's words. He had to admit to himself that he was a bit jealous of Jimmy, and that he was hurt that, like Lois, he hadn't known anything about Jimmy until earlier that week. He was supposed to be her best friend, which meant he wasn't supposed to be the last to know. It had been eating him up inside since that morning. His mind drifted to all the things that may have happened behind that bedroom door. He willed himself to snap out of the thoughts; they weren't helping.

He remembered the time they'd made out at the Talon. He currently regretted that she was under the influence of a parasite from the caves and that he was on red kryptonite. Maybe his mother was right to think that Chloe was the one for him. She was his best friend; he could trust her, and he confided in her often.

But, he was too late. Chloe was moving on and getting over him; he'd just have to deal with it. But how? How was he going to deal with it? He couldn't start seeing other women; his secret was too great to even think about letting just anyone into his life. He thought back to Alicia Baker; he loved her. She could have been the one for him, but he lost her.

Perhaps he was meant to be alone; his mind drifted to Kyla. What if she hadn't died? What if she was the one for him?

Just then, someone entered the loft and he snapped out of his thoughts. Lois ascended the stairs and sat on the couch without a word.

"Yes, Lois?" Clark said.

"Please don't tell me that you're brooding over Lana. I mean, you barely said two words to each other. Actually, I'm surprised that she came with us. I kinda thought that she would have borrowed one of Lex's helicopters or something."

"Are you here for something, or did you just want to sit on my couch and ramble?"

"Actually, I came here to say--" she paused. She did not want to apologize to him. She lowered her voice "youwereright"

Clark chuckled. If it wasn't for his super hearing, he wouldn't have understood her.

"I was what? Could you speak up?" he said, teasing her.

"You were right, and I'm sorry. There! I said it. If you tell anyone about this, I'll just deny it. However, I'll admit that I should have been wishing her well instead of harrassing her. And I think that I would have finished my breakfast if I hadn't been bothering her, because you and Lana wouldn't have ganged up on me and rushed me out."

Clark smirked. "You were really upset earlier. I know it wasn't all because I didn't wish her bon voyage," Lois said. "It bothered you, didn't it?" Clark was silent. "To see her with someone else," she continued. Clark straightened his features, trying to seem emotionless. When he didn't speak, Lois gave him a pat on the back and got up.

"Just one piece of advice: Go for it and tell her how you feel. If you have feelings for her, that is. You owe it to her." With that, Lois left.

**To be continued.**

* * *

_**Tell me what you think!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's note:**** I know I said I'd keep the spoilers to a minimum, so if you haven't seen season 8 of Charmed and don't want to know too much, just let me know so I can work on not spoiling it for anyone.**_

Chapter Seven

Chloe ducked as an energy ball came flying at her. She nodded off and astral projected herself and pushed her attacker to the ground.

"Ow," the young woman said. Chloe laughed. "Sorry," she apologized. Paige came up to both of them. "Chloe, that was good, but what if there was someone else around. While you were astral projecting, someone else could have easily grabbed you. Always be wary of that."

Chloe smiled. It had been less than a week since she arrived in San Francisco and she was doing very well. She'd learned how to control her astral projection, and she'd discovered that she had telekinetic abilities. She also got a grip on her other ability; she got her car back to normal size, but before she did, she washed it and gave it a makeover, removing the rust and giving it a new paint job with a bottle of nail polish. Now, it was a "vintage" car instead of just an old car. Paige had given her a "shame on you" speech, but admitted that it was pretty clever.

"Alright. This time, find another way to disable your attacker," Paige said. Chloe smiled at the younger blond girl, Billie. When she heard Billie explain her abilities, she thought the girl was just exaggerating, but Chloe learned different when she began training with her. Billie threw the energy ball at her again, but, instead of ducking, Chloe pushed it back at her. Bad move. Billie just pushed it back at Chloe. For a few minutes it was like a game of ping pong. Chloe took a moment to think about something to do. She wanted to find a way to catch Billie off guard. If only she could find a way for the energy ball to hit Billie from behind...

Just then, it disappeared from between them, and hit Billie on her lower back.

"OW! I'm glad it was low voltage!" she said. "Wait, how did you do that?"

"I don't know," Chloe said. "I wanted to get you with it from behind, and that's what happened. I guess the same thing that happened when my car shrunk. I was talking to Clark, and he wanted me to... take a plane with him instead of driving by myself; he wanted to make sure I got here safely. I told him that I wanted to have my car with me, but I'd have to pack it in my bag if we were going to fly. And, I was wishing that it was possible."

"I think you can project like I can. At least to an extent," Billie said. She looked at Paige. "Remember when I turned my parents into assassins?" She turned to Chloe again. "I think we can help you control them. I don't think yours are triggered the way mine are, and hopefully I'm right."

"Whoa, whoa. This is too much at the moment. Can we take a break, maybe get something to eat, and get a newspaper for me to read?" Paige looked at her, knowing that this was a still a bit overwhelming for Chloe.

"Sure," Paige said. As they walked down the stairs, Chloe started asking the question that everyone was asking in their minds.

"Why are these powers emerging so quickly? You said that they usually evolve slowly."

"I don't know," Paige said, "maybe there's some unknown catalyst." They sat at the table and Chloe got herself a bowl of cereal and poured the milk.

"Chloe, what did I tell you about using your powers like that?"

"Sorry, I wasn't really thinking about it." She looked at the newspaper and the spoon drifted to her mouth.

Chloe was so engrossed in the paper and her thoughts that she didn't even notice that Paige had changed the spoon's course. Rather than dipping into Chloe's cereal, it dipped into a nearby flower pot and scooped up some dirt. Then, it drifted to Chloe's mouth. She quickly let it fall out of her mouth. Paige and Billie laughed.

"That's not funny!"

"Well, she told you not to use your powers like that, but you didn't listen," Billie said.

"Yeah, but there should be a better way for her to teach me a lesson. Maybe she should know what potting soil tastes like."

Just then Paige opened her mouth and dirt fell out. Chloe was mortified. "Paige! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do that! It's moments like these that make me dislike these powers."

Paige laughed. "I know how you feel. Trust me." Chloe looked at her, her eyes indicating curiosity. Paige sighed. "When I was starting out with my powers, I was.. with this guy a couple nights and I kept orbing out right before..." she trailed off. Chloe thought for a moment and then realized what Paige meant and started laughing hysterically. "I'm sorry, Paige, but that has to top mine! That had to be embarrassing. Wait, where did you orb to?"

"Back here, to the manor."

"Did anyone see you? Were you wearing anything? Why didn't I know about this?" Billie asked.

Paige was flustered. She did not want to relive that point in her life. Then, she recalled why she'd told the story. "We're getting off-track, here. My point was that you still have to be careful, even when you harness your powers."

"Well, I guess the quickest way for me to harness my powers is to keep training." Chloe turned to Billie with a smirk. "You ready?"

"Of course. Bring it on." The two raced back up the stairs. Paige prepared for major damage. "Piper's going to kill me," she said before orbing up to join them.

* * *

Clark was sitting around Crater Lake, thinking. It was almost always barren. There was the occasional high school party thrown out there, but not very often. Lois' words rang in his head. He hadn't spoken to Chloe since he'd left her in San Francisco. She'd called, but he was avoiding her. He wanted to sort out his feelings before talking to her. He was still debating whether he should be with her; he didn't want anything to happen to her. She was already in danger, since she knew his secret. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. He'd made his decision, and went home to talk to his mother about it.

However, she wasn't home when he got there. There was a note on the counter. It read: 'Clark, I ran out for a bit. There's some food in the refrigerator, and I made pie. Call my phone if you need anything.' He sighed, and retrieved the pie, and found some ice cream.

"Comfort food, Clark?" came Lois' voice. "Have you talked to Chloe yet?"

Clark just looked at her, irritated. "No. If you haven't noticed, she's still in San Francisco. I don't want to tell her over the phone."

"So you admit it," Lois said.

* * *

"I don't understand why you do this! You take my cars, and you go street racing! Do you have any idea what this does to me!" Lex was furious. "No matter how many times I warn you!"

"Fine. I'll get my own car to race with."

"You don't get it, do you? Stop racing. I don't want anything to happen to you. If you don't stop willingly--"

"What, Lex? You'll make me? How? Oh, I see; you're going to turn me in to the police. Good luck getting them to believe you. The Metropolis PD isn't too fond of you."

Lex stormed out. He'd had it with these antics. But what could he do? He'd given her access to anything of his. How was he supposed to know that she'd be so reckless? She wasn't the same woman that moved in. He'd expected her to change, but he figured she'd start using his cars and spending his money on shopping sprees and expensive restaurants, not gambling and illegal racing. He watched her from the doorway as she got ready for another outing. He had no doubt that she was going to race. Lex's phone rang, and he walked away to answer it. She walked over to the mirror, and looked around to ensure that she was alone, and sat down.

She looked in the mirror, and sighed. "I don't know. He was really angry this time," she said to the mirror.

"He'll get over it," her reflection replied. "Don't look at me like that... Alright, we'll go get some cars. But I like his; they're respected,fast, and easy to get to."

"It doesn't matter what car we're in, and you know that. I can't stand seeing him get so angry."

* * *

Piper walked into the Halliwell manor, and entered the kitchen. She noticed that there was a bowl of cereal that had most likely been forgotten hours ago. Then, she noticed the lumps of dried mud on the table.

"What the--?" Then she heard a crash and ran upstairs to the attic, ready to blow something up if she needed to.

"Okay, I think that's enough for today. We better clean up before Piper gets home, because I have a feeling that she'll probably blow us all up if she sees this," Piper heard Paige say.

"See what?" she demanded as she neared the attic door. She walked in and everything was in order. "Alright, what's going on here?" She looked at the three people standing in the room. The younger two looked as if nothing had happened, but Paige was looking nervous.

"Okay, what just happened?" Piper said. Chloe and Billie dropped their act and just looked at Paige. "Good job," they said to her. "All you had to do was act for a few seconds. She would have walked away, and we would have fixed it for real and she would never have known," Billie said.

Chloe sighed. "This woman won't be fooled today, so strip the false illusion away." The illusion of order was gone, and Piper saw what Paige was talking about. The walls were scorched, and a window was broken. Everything was out of place, except for the Book of Shadows. "I hate rhyming," Chloe said. "Why is it always a rhyme? Is that a rule or something?"

"What the hell were you guys doing!" Piper was furious.

"Training," Paige said. Chloe and Billie just grinned sheepishly.

"I need to go before one of you explodes," Piper said and walked out. Chloe and Billie worked on cleaning up. A half hour later, the attic was neater than it had ever been. Paige walked into the kitchen, hoping she'd find Piper.

Piper was in the kitchen, sitting at the table. She'd cleaned up the table, and washed dishes. Paige sat across from her.

"Sorry about the mess," Paige said. Piper smiled, and looked up at her sister.

"I can't help but wonder if it's going to be that way when Wyatt and Chris get older. I mean, we're going to have to train them."

"Yikes," Paige said as she thought about it. "It's going to be way worse than that." Suddenly, they heard frantic footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Piper, please don't kill me! I'm sorry about the bowl; I totally forgot!" Chloe said as she hurried into the kitchen. Piper laughed.

"It's okay, Chloe. But, what was with the soil on the table?" Paige and Chloe exchanged an amused glance. Paige stood up and pat her sister on the back. "You had to be there," Chloe said.

Suddenly, Piper saw what happened as if she were there. Paige warned Chloe to stop using her powers for trivial tasks, and punished her when she ignored the warning. Chloe accidentally retaliated. Piper started laughing.

"That was funny," she said. "Wait, what just happened?"

"You tell me," Paige said.

"Well, I saw what happened with the cereal and the dirt, as if I was there, but--" Piper looked at Chloe. "Did you do that?"

"Yeah. I'm still getting the hang of that." Chloe said and excused herself from the room. "When did she discover this one?" Piper asked.

"She can project. Just like Billie can, but for some reason she's more advanced than Billie is. For some reason, her powers are developing more rapidly than I've ever seen. She can control them, but they keep evolving, and I don't know why or how to stop them. I can't even bind them!"

"Did you ask the Elders?" Piper said. Paige feigned a shocked expression. "I know, I'm not their biggest fan, but they could probably help." Paige waved and orbed "up there" to see what she could find out. A few minutes later, Paige returned, and her expression showed that she had gotten no answers.

"I guess we'll have to find out ourselves. Get Phoebe and explain the situation. I'm going to brainstorm and check the book," Piper said. She tried not to show it, but she was worried. Chloe's powers had emerged only two weeks ago, and usually, when people's powers grow too rapidly, bad things ensue. They had to figure out what was going on before it was too late.

**To be continued.**

* * *

_**What do you think?**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's note:**** This is my first attempt to incorporate a song into a fic. Let me know if it was good or bad! Please review!**_

Chapter Eight

_Alright, I drink more than you,_

_I party harder than you do,_

_And my car's faster than yours too!_

Lex Luthor's Porsche sped along the stretch of road, maneuvering past small obstacles and gaining more speed. Another car came up behind, trying to get ahead. It was no match for the Porsche, which increased its speed and left half a mile between them, and reached the makeshift finish line.

The crowd clapped unenthusiastically. They were used to this outcome. Jax was taking it easy on Elle, the Porsche's beautiful driver. She was the only woman racing, and she was good, but everyone assumed that she was second rate. They all knew that once Jax realized that he wasn't going to get her, she'd lose.

He tried to make her his, night after night, week after week, and failed each time. Finally, he'd decided that he wasn't going to take it easy on her anymore. She was becoming arrogant; he had to teach her a lesson.

"She's here. Wait till you see what she's driving." Jax hurried out to see what the excitement was about. "What is her obsession with pink?" he said as he saw the car. It was a light pink, closer to silver, but it was still pink. She was also wearing pink; like she often did. Actually, the outfit was black, with pink stitches and stones in it.

_P. I. N. K._

_P. I. M. P._

_I'm back again; I know y'all missed me_

_I'm so so sick, can't handle it_

_Yeah I talk s--t just deal with it_

He was even more furious when he saw her get out of the car and flirt with one of the guys. He took a closer look at the car. It must have been pretty expensive. She'd even customized the rims.

_My rims are 23 inch, and they're black on black_

_No, they're not his_

The girls that came to watch the races were focused on what Elle was wearing. The stones on her shirt seemed to shine brighter than normal rhinestones. Elle just looked at them and smiled. She loved the attention, and knew exactly what they were looking at. She knew that they envied and hated her.

_Diamonds all over my tee_

_You can try and try, you can't be me_

Jax approached her, to make a wager she couldn't refuse. "Elle. How about a race," he said.

"How much?" she said.

"Fifty," he held $50,000 cash in his hand.

"That's a bit more than your normal wager, but it's still not enough. Not for a one on one, which is what you want."

"Okay, I'll double it." She smiled.

"You're on," she said.

_So I cash my checks and place my bets,_

_And hope I'll always win_

_Even if I don't I'm f--ked because_

_I live a life of sin_

_But it's alright, I don't give a damn_

_I don't play your rules, I make my own_

_Tonight, I'll do what I want_

_'Cuz I can!_

All the men wanted her, and watched her every move. All the women disliked her and badmouthed her every chance they got. Most of it was just talk; Elle partied hard, and raced, but that was all she did. She never did any of the skanky things that the other women did.

_I know I'm rare, you stop and stare_

_You think I care, I don't!_

_You talk real loud_

_But you ain't sayin' nothing cool_

_I can fit your whole house in my swimming pool_

_My life's a fantasy_

_That you're not smart enough to even dream_

_My ice is making me freeze_

_You can try and try, you can't be me_

Elle got into her car and prepared for her race. Jax came to the side of the window, and she could tell that he was up to something. He wished her good luck, and was about to walk away when she pulled him in for a kiss.

"You too," she said. He smiled at her and walked away. She smiled knowingly. She looked up into the rear view mirror. "Should we give him what he wants?"

"Absolutely," came the reply. "But once he gets it, we'll get what we came here for."

_So I cash my checks and place my bets_

_And hope I'll always win_

_Even if I don't I'm f--ked because_

_I live a life of sin_

_But it's alright, I don't give a damn_

_I don't play your rules, I make my own_

_Tonight, I'll do what I want_

_'Cuz I can!_

They revved their engines; she looked at him, and he gave her a smirk as they took off. She was ahead of him, and then they were side by side. She gave him a wave as she took the lead.

_Yeah I'm super thick_

_People say I'm much too chick_

_Come and kiss the ring_

_You just might learn a couple things_

_I'm tryin' to school ya dog_

_"Ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff ruff"_

_I'm your worst nightmare_

_Bring it; we can take it there_

_What, are you scared?_

Jax let her have the lead for a few minutes, and then he sped up. She sped up also. Then, he finally got next to her again. He gave her a few inches ahead of him, and when they got close to the finish line, he saw her wave again, but he sped off and won.

_So I cash my checks and place my bets_

_And hope I'll always win_

_Even if I don't I'm f--ked because_

_I live a life of sin_

_But it's alright, I don't give a damn_

_I don't play your rules, I make my own_

_Tonight, I'll do what I want_

_'Cuz I can!_

They got out of their cars, and he hurried over to her. "Pay up, Elle."

"Not yet. One more race. I'll double," she said, effectively pretending to be flustered.

He smiled; she was nervous. She couldn't pay up. She probably spent all her money on that new car and its customizations.

"Sure. But, Elle, if you can't pay up--"

"You know what. Let's make this more interesting," she said as she cut him off. "The winner gets the loser's clothes--" Jax smiled at that "--the money, and, whatever else she wants."

"Don't be so sure of yourself," Jax said.

"Whatever. Let's do this," she said and got back into her car. Jax watched her for a moment; her confident expression had changed to fear once she'd sat down. This was going to be fun.

* * *

"I can't believe that Chloe's not here for this. We should call her and tell her to get back her. She'd love to see this. Nice look, by the way." Lois said to Clark as they made their way through the crowd. Clark decided to look less like Clark and more like Kal; they were investigating illegal dealings, and he didn't want to look obvious. She seemed to see a familiar face and stopped. A young guy came over to them. 

"You didn't tell me you knew Kal!" he said, looking at Clark. Lois looked at Clark, puzzled. "Keep it down," Clark said. "Tell anyone else who might recognize me that they're better off forgetting that they ever saw me."

"Whoa. Nice to see you, too," the guy said. "Nobody else knows you, man. I'm the last of them."

"Anyway," Lois said, confused as to what that was about, "What did I miss, Jess?"

"Elle just lost to Jax! But, she challenged him to a rematch. Winner takes the money, the loser's clothes, and whatever else he wants. I can't wait till he takes her clothes. She's got to have --"

Lois cut him off "Okay, we get it. Is this the start or the finish?"

"This is the finish line. Come, you guys can get a better look around here."

"Hold on, the last time--"

"You weren't with him the last time," he said, gesturing to Clark. Lois rolled her eyes and followed Jess to the front of the crowd. "I guess I look like badass Kal in these clothes," he told her. He was nervous; he didn't want to get into any trouble over things that happened over two years ago. He and Lois looked on and he listened out. He heard a car coming, and another car far behind it. Just then, a car came into view.

"That's Elle!" Jess said in disbelief. Lois couldn't wait to see this woman's face; she had enough information about the major players, but she'd never gotten a chance to see Elle. Once she did, she could do enough research to show Chloe The car crossed the finish line, and about two minutes later, the next car crossed. The later car's driver came out, and he was angry. "What the—!" he'd just beaten her with ease in the first race. He looked under the hood of her car, and found nothing spectacular. It wasn't even tricked out to gain more speed. How the hell did she do it? Everyone gasped.

"It doesn't matter how I did it, Jax. Just pay up and strip," Elle said. "Oh, and I want your car."

Lois and Clark were stunned. It couldn't be who they thought it was. Elle got out of the car, but her back was toward them. Clark noted that she had dark hair.

"That's two out of three, Clark. Sometimes people look similar and sound alike," Lois said. "Street racing? Come on, there is no way that that is--" The woman turned around to face Jax, who had his back to Lois and Clark.

"Lana," Lois finished. "Oh, my goodness. Lana is Elle? How? Why?" Clark noticed the look in Lana's eyes, and got worried.

"Lois, we have to get away from here before she sees us. I have a feeling that that's not Lana." They managed to get away, but still be able to see and hear what was going on.

"No way," Jax said. "There is no way that I'm going to--"

"You agreed to _all of it_. Thanks for the money, but I still want your clothes and car."

"No. You have the money, now go before it gets ugly," Jax said, stepping up, leaving barely an inch between them. Lana put her hands behind her back.

"You're a little too close," she said. "Allow me to fix that." Jax went flying, leaving yards between them.

"That's much better, but you still haven't given me your clothes or your car, so I'll just have to take them." Then, Jax's clothes started to come off. Everyone just stood there, watching. Soon, Lana had everything he was wearing, except his boxers.

She looked in his pockets for his keys.

"What are you going to do, drive both cars?"

"No. I'm keeping your car as a little souvenir." She held her hand out toward the car, and it began to shrink and fit in the palm of her hand. Then, she got in her car, started the engine, pulled off. She'd barely gotten two feet when she stopped. She held her hand out, and Jax's boxers appeared in it a few seconds later. Then, she sped away.

"Okay, what the hell just happened!" Lois said.

**To be continued.**

* * *

_**So, what did you think?**_

_**Oh, and the song is "Cuz I Can" by Pink. It's from the album I'm Not Dead. I don't own it.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's note:**** Sorry for the long wait. I just started school and everything's been pretty hectic for me. I will try to keep this story going; unfortunately, I can't make any promises. Reviews are appreciated.**_

_**Thanks to everyone that reads and reviews, especially **_**supernaturalsmallville, bely, TiffersLeAnn.**

_**Oh, and **_**Nightcrusader, ****_who almost always (unknowingly) gives me a push to keep this story going_.**

Chapter Nine

Chloe smiled as she walked through Golden Gate Park; she was going to meet Clark there and they were going to hang out. She came to their meeting place, and sat down and waited. A few minutes later, he appeared.

"Did you bring your swim trunks?" she asked him. He nodded. "And your badass Kal clothes?" He shook his head.

"Oh well. No big deal," Chloe said. "I'll just have to buy you some clothes before we go out tonight." He sighed. There would be endless changes of clothes all day.

They walked out to the car, and Clark was puzzled. "How did this get here?" he asked, "And why s it green?"

Chloe laughed. "It's not mine; I borrowed it from a friend. So, you need to be extra careful."

He prepared to get in the small car. He was very tall, and it wasn't really built to accommodate people of his stature. As he sat down, he figured that Chloe must have had some interior work done, because he was completely comfortable. Chloe smiled; sometime she loved magic.

* * *

They pulled up to the Halliwell manor. Chloe had warned everyone in the house that she was going to have a guest, and Phoebe had offered her apartment, since the manor was usually where the most magical stuff happened and non-magical guests usually didn't stay over. Chloe declined and checked into a hotel, but she had to retrieve her belongings from the manor. She asked Clark to wait in the car and entered the house.

"Forgetting something?" a voice asked from behind her as she walked up the stairs. Chloe wrapped herself in her invisible shield, a nifty little trick she'd developed, and turned around, ready to fight. She came face to face with Piper, who was holding the bag that she was looking for. She smiled. "Thanks, Mom," she said playfully.

"Oh, and I'm going to be at P3 tonight," Chloe said. "See you there?"

Piper opened her mouth to protest, but she realized that if Chloe didn't go to P3, she'd go somewhere else... and that would suck. "Of course," Piper said. What harm could be done if Piper was there to keep an eye on her? Besides, Paige and Phoebe were always there anyway. All Piper had to do was let them know of Chloe's plans and all three would be on the lookout.

Chloe said goodbye and Piper closed the door behind her. Wyatt came ambling down the stairs, wiping at his eyes. "Hey, Wyatt? Are you hungry?" she asked her son as she picked him up and walked into the kitchen. Just then, Paige orbed in. Wyatt smiled at his aunt and he knew what was going to happen. He orbed up to his room.

"Such a good kid. Can't wait till he's old enough to help us with these problems," Paige commented. "Anyway, this is really bad."

"How bad?" Piper asked, raising an eyebrow. Paige took a deep breath.

"Bad enough that the Elders are pushing for the murder of an innocent," Paige said, a little ticked off.

"What?" Piper asked, alarmed. Paige sat down, and explained what was going on. The Elders had foreseen Chloe becoming a powerful evil, and strongly advised that the Charmed Ones kill her.

"What the hell?" Piper said, angry. "One of you needs to get your asses down here and give us more information!"

"It's no use Piper. They won't." Just then, Kevin the Elder came down.

"The rest won't, but I will. You deserve to know," he said. Piper looked at him; he'd grown up since the last time she'd seen him. She was glad that they'd saved his life and he'd gotten Ramus' powers.

"Chloe's power strongly rivals that of the Charmed Ones and the Ultimate Power--"

"So?" Paige asked. How was that a bad thing if the Charmed Ones were her mentors?

"And for some reason, the 'oh-so-important' rules of magic don't apply to her at all. She can do whatever she wants. So, you see, she's powerful beyond belief and outside the law. They fear that she will become the great evil that your eldest son was prevented from becoming."

"Oh," the sisters said in unison.

"What do you think we should do?" Paige asked.

"I don't know; that's something you have to decide," he said and orbed out.

* * *

Meanwhile, Chloe and Clark were doing some shopping. She wanted him to look hot when they were out. He smiled as she dressed him, although he wished that she would do just the opposite. _Enough with those thoughts, _he told himself. He was worried that he might start a fire, and then he'd have to explain himself to Chloe, who knew how that ability was triggered.

A few hours later, Chloe had decided on 8 outfits. She'd rationalized that Clark's stay was for three days, so he had two for each day, and two extras in case something happens to any of the others. Then, she decided to mess with his hair, which was very difficult because she couldn't cut it. She eventually gave up trying to cut it and toyed with it until she liked how it looked.

"I can't believe I let you do all of this to me," he said to her.

"It's for the best," Chloe said. "If I think you look good, the rest of the girls who see you are going to go crazy for you."

He smiled at her, and she laughed. "Okay, so let's go to the beach. I got you something," she said, pulling out a speedo.

"There is no way that I'm going to wear that," he said. She asked him to try it on, and she smiled as he left the bathroom.

"Wow," Chloe said.

"I feel ridiculous, and what if I have a "malfunction" and rip this?"

"You could always run away," she said, with a snicker. "Alright, put these on," she said, handing him a pair of swim trunks that she'd bought. "Better?" she asked from the other side of the door.

"Much," he said.

"Okay, so now you have to take... this outfit with you," she said, picking out an outfit for him and packing it away. "Hurry up," she said. "You're taking longer than I did!"

Just then, the room phone rang. "Miss Sullivan? There's a Miss Jenkins here to see you. We sent her up."

"Jenkins? Oh, Billie. Thank you." A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door, and Billie was standing in the doorway.

"Hey, Billie, what's going on?" Chloe asked. "Clark," she said, "I'm going to step out for a minute." She picked up the room key and stepped into the hallway.

"I was just about to call you and invite you to the beach," Chloe said.

"Really? I just came to check out your room and see if you wanted coffee." Chloe smiled. The two had forged a friendship; they could relate to each other because their powers were almost the same. Of course, Chloe's was more advanced, but the Halliwells never told them that.

"I don't have anything to wear to the beach," Billie said. Chloe took a look at Billie. "Come with me," she said. They entered the room and encountered Clark, who was looking at his new clothes. "Finally, you're out of the bathroom. You're such a diva," Chloe said, mockingly. Billie looked at Clark . He was hot; too bad he was gay.

_What? _Chloe thought as she gathered a few bathing suits.

_Oops, _Billie replied. _Didn't mean to send that to you._

_Well, he's not gay. He just happens to be comfortable enough with himself to let me dress him._

Billie laughed out loud; Clark looked from the two and shook his head. He figured she thought that his clothes were ridiculous.

"Sorry," Billie said as Chloe dragged her into the bathroom. Chloe poked her head out. "No peeping," she told Clark with a grin before closing the door. She turned to face Billie, and with a wave of her hand, Billie was wearing a one piece swimsuit.

"Nope, too Baywatch," she remarked and waved her hand again.

_What are you doing? _Billie asked her.

"What do you think?" Chloe answered out loud. "You want to come to the beach, so I'm giving you something to wear." _It's not like I'm messing with anything major. Lighten up. Besides, they can't punish you because you didn't use your powers._

Billie smiled at her friend, until she was clad in a completely hideous bright pink swimsuit with ruffles. She was mortified. Chloe laughed.

"That's not funny!" she said. Chloe waved her hand and Billie was dressed in the perfect bikini. With another wave, Billie was wearing the perfect outfit.

"Thanks," she told Chloe. They smiled and emerged from the bathroom. Clark had put all of his clothes away in the closet, and he'd put Chloe's in as well.

"Oh, Billie's coming with us to the beach," Chloe said. "I forgot to tell you."

"Oh. That's cool," he said. He was a bit disappointed that he wasn't going to be alone with Chloe, but he also wanted to know what her new friends were like. He picked up the duffel bag that Chloe had packed and they made their way to the beach.

* * *

Phoebe rushed home to hear what her sisters needed to tell her. They explained what was going on with Chloe, and what the Elders wanted them to do.

"Okay, but if she's more powerful, then how the hell are we supposed to kill her?" Phoebe said. "That makes no sense! Why would they have us train her first?"

"I don't think they realized," Paige said.

Phoebe got up from the dining room table and headed upstairs. As soon as she touched the banister, she was pulled into a premonition.

-

_Chloe was closing in on a dark haired girl; she used her telekinesis to lift her in the air. She seemed to be choking her._

"_This ends now," she said._

_-_

"What did you see?" Piper asked.

"Chloe was about to kill someone."

* * *

At the beach, Clark, Chloe, and Billie enjoyed themselves. Clark and Billie were getting along really well, and he was splashing both girls in the water.

Billie liked Clark. When Chloe first told her about him, Billie assumed that he was her boyfriend, until Chloe told her about Jimmy. She smiled and flirted a little bit with Clark, and Chloe didn't seem to mind. However, it was when they went to get some snacks that she realized that Clark wasn't very interested. He kept watching Chloe whenever she got up, and when guys hit on her, Billie could see the hint of jealousy in his eyes. That's when it clicked in her mind. The two had feelings for each other, but kept it to themselves. She had an idea, and hoped that Chloe wouldn't kill her for it. She looked around, trying to expand on her idea. She turned around to see where Chloe was, and a few feet away from Chloe, she saw her good friend Tyler walking up to a girl on the beach. Then, she had the outline of a plan.

"I'll be right back," she told Clark. She went after Tyler, but tried not to look too suspicious. When she'd gotten a good distance away from Clark, she approached her friend and formulated her plan.

Billie hurried back to Clark. Chloe was now sitting with him at the table. They were sharing cheese fries. Actually, Clark seemed to have devoured two-thirds of them by himself. Billie looked at the cheese covered fries the two were eating and pretended to have a craving.

"I'll be back. I'm going to get some of those." Billie said, getting up. "Clark, do you want anything?" she asked.

"Yeah, but I'll just get them myself," he said and got up, intending on getting more fries. The two walked, and she saw Tyler and his date 'in position'. _Action, _she told herself and signaled them. She'd made sure that Chloe could see her and Clark. She turned to Clark.

"Clark, I need a really big favor. I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but.."

"What is it?" he asked, concerned.

* * *

Chloe watched her friends walk; she was glad that they got along. She was going to introduce Clark to the sisters at P3 that night as well. Then, when they got back to Smallville, she'd tell him about her powers. She wanted him to meet them and get to know them; she knew he might pass unfair judgment on them otherwise. She was glad Billie showed up. She snapped out of her thoughts and took a glance at the two, who were now kissing.

Shock ripped through her. How could she have not seen that Billie liked him? Jealousy surged through her.

She didn't feel so good about introducing them anymore.

**To be continued.**

* * *

_**What did you think? Good, bad, annoying, confusing? Love it? Hate it? Love it, but want to hate it?**_

_**All feedback is appreciated. Please review.**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's note:**** Hey, sorry it took so long. I had a bit of writer's block. I hope you guys like it. If you don't, let me know what you don't. Believe me, criticism helps.**_

**Chapter Ten**

Chloe had left San Francisco without saying a word to Billie or the Halliwells. She left a note at the Halliwell manor letting them know that she'd gone home. She was still upset with Billie, but she'd written a short farewell to her somewhere among her lengthy goodbyes to the sisters.

She'd packed everything the night before, and she was prepared to check out early. She waited for Clark to get up; she'd told him of her plans the day before. Finally, he got up, and they were in Metropolis before they knew it.

"Chloe, we're here," he said. She nodded, and stayed there, clinging to him. She'd decided to tell him her secret. It was now or never. She kissed him passionately, and he gently put her down. She inhaled deeply, and prepared to tell him.

Just then, a car zoomed past them blasting loud music, followed by another car. Clark groaned. Lana. How could he have forgotten? He knew what would be happening next. Chloe was right on cue asking questions as three more cars sped past them.

* * *

Chloe spent the rest of her day reading through all of Lois' notes and research on the street racing ring in Metropolis, which Lois had left at Chloe's apartment. Clark had forgotten about Lana and the street racing while he was in California with Chloe.

"Lois may just be a better reporter than I am," Chloe said to no one in particular. "These are some good notes. I can't believe she wrote all of this from memory after every race." Chloe continued to read. She was a bit tired; Lois' recounts were very thorough and Chloe had been reading them for hours. She decided to skim through the rest of the information.

Then, something grabbed her attention. She thought she'd seen a name she recognized. She actively read the words on the page, and was stunned to see:

_Elle is Lana Lang. I saw her face. Kent pulled me away; he didn't want to be seen. Lana did some freaky thing; (I think she's a meteor freak) She pushed Jax yards away from her, without touching him. Then, she took off all his clothes, without touching them; and she miniaturized his car; it fit in the palm of her hand._

Chloe paused for a minute; she focused and projected herself through time to that night, and saw that Lois' recap was correct, and that it really was Lana. Isobel must have taken control of Lana! Chloe realized that she couldn't print the story; Lana didn't have anything to do with it, and the story would ruin Lana's reputation. Chloe, a bit disappointed, put away the notes her cousin compiled for her and went to bed.

* * *

Lana smiled as Chloe approached her at the Talon in Smallville the next day.

"How was your trip? Where'd you end up?" Lana asked. The two engaged in conversation as Chloe told of her vacation.

"What about you?" Chloe asked. "What have you been doing for the past month?"

Lana smiled. "Nothing too exciting."

"Hey, what are you doing tonight?" Chloe asked. "I wanna go to this club in Metropolis..." Lana's smile faded. "I don't really like clubs," Lana replied, cutting her friend off.

"Oh, well, I'll ask Lois when she wakes up," Chloe said. "I'll see you later!"

Chloe walked out of the Talon, quickly, and right into Clark.

"Chloe," he started. "About yesterday..."

"You mean the kiss? Don't worry about it," she said. "I shouldn't ha--" Clark put a finger to her lips, leaned down, and kissed her.

Meanwhile, inside the cafe, Lois came down from her apartment.

"Ugh, they need to get a room," Lois commented, looking outside. Lana followed Lois' gaze and saw the couple kissing. "Wait, is that... Smallville.. kissing my cousin? Finally, he told her!" Lois stood there, watching, happy for them. However, he felt weird watching them, and walked away.

Lana couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Chloe knew everything about Clark; she could see it in the way he looked at Chloe. Then, she realized something. Clark went to Chloe for most things, even when he was with Lana. Could Chloe have planned this? Didn't Clark go to Chloe after he and Lana had a fight? Did Chloe cause their breakup so she could have Clark to herself?

"I'll bet Jimmy was part of it. She probably knew that you all were coming that morning." Isobel said.

Lana looked in the mirror, listening to every word. She eventually let her guard down as her ancestor manipulated her emotions, and Isobel took full control.

* * *

Clark and Chloe finally realized that they were in town, in plain view of people, so Clark took her in his arms and took her back to the Kent farm. They were on the couch in his loft and he continued to kiss her. She broke the kiss, and started to speak.

"Clark, as much as I'm enjoying this, we need to talk," she started. "What is this all about?"

"Chloe, I love you, and you know you love me too," he said. "I know you're with Jimmy, but.." He noticed her change in demeanor. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied. _I just forgot about Jimmy, that's all. _"We need to talk about this. Why do you think you love me?"

"Chlo', I know you're skeptical, but I really do."

"Do you love me because you saw me and Jimmy together? Are you jealous?"

Clark couldn't lie to her; he told her that he was indeed jealous. "But, that's not when I realized how I felt. When you told me you were leaving, it seemed like you were never coming back, and I couldn't bear losing you. That's when I realized how much I love you. I was going to tell you that morning, but then Jimmy came out of your room..."

She sighed. That had been embarrassing. She and Jimmy hadn't even done anything. She'd lost her nerve and they ended up lying there for hours, talking about everything and nothing until they finally fell asleep.

"What about Lana?" Chloe asked him. "What if she leaves Lex? What then? I know you still love her."

"I don't want to be with Lana. I still love her, of course." he said. "But, Chloe, I want to be with you. Lana's not going to come between us."

"Aww, what a sweet moment," a voice called from below. "So, Chloe, how'd you do it?" They looked down and faced Lana. "You said we'd always be friends and Clark wouldn't come between us, but you snaked your way between Clark and me. You're always there to keep his precious secrets. You've probably been encouraging him to keep them from me."

"Lana, that's not true," Clark said. Lana waved her hand at him and sent him flying backward. She looked at Chloe, who stood her ground.

"Hello, Isobel," Chloe said.

Lana tried to send Chloe backward. But, Chloe had braced herself for the attack so it didn't hurt as much.

"Don't you see, Chloe? I helped Lana become better than she was. We coexist as Elle."

"Well, it's not much of a surprise. Lex does tend to bring out the slutty side of women. In Lana's case, he brought you out," Chloe remarked. Lana was advancing on her. She could tell that the dark haired girl towering above her was going to attack her. Chloe stood up, and looked Lana in the eye.

"Lana, you can fight her. Take control," Chloe pleaded, her voice shaking. She didn't want to use her powers; she'd hurt Lana . "You're not coexisting now, she's controlling you. Take control Lana!"

Isobel knew that the young blond was afraid and savored the moment. This was going to be fun.

Lana ran toward her; Chloe projected herself to the farmhouse to find Mrs. Kent. Lana looked around, puzzled.

"Oh, Chloe--" Martha's smile faded when she noticed that Chloe had been hurt. "What happened?"

"I don't have time to explain," Chloe started. "Do you still have the black kryptonite that Dr. Swann sent you?"

"Oh, no. Did Kal-El do this to you?" Martha began to panic.

"No," Chloe tried to assure her. "Mrs. Kent, I don't have much time." She saw Lana approaching the house. "Please, I need to know where it is." The door flew open and she looked at Martha, fearing for the older woman's life.

"Hurry!" Martha obeyed, but looked back to see Lana attack Chloe; she willed herself to keep moving until she got to the barn, where she saw Clark sprawled on the ground.

"Clark!" she called out to him as she ran to him. She shook him, trying to get him to wake up. He opened his eyes, confused. Then, he recalled what happened. "Mom, where's Chloe?" he asked, worried.

"She's in the house. Lana's attacking her! I didn't want to leave her, but she told me to. She needs black kryptonite." Martha went to her husband's tool kit and rummaged through it until she found a small box; she opened it, revealing the stone. She closed it again, handing it to Clark. "Mom, it's not safe here. I think you should go to the storm cellar," he said, before running at superspeed toward the house. Lana and Chloe were nowhere to be found.

Chloe had taken the fight outside onto one of the fields. Clark finally saw them fighting. Lana was about to strike Chloe. Clark ran between them to protect Chloe. He fell to the ground, injured, dropping the box containing the black kryptonite. Chloe used her powers to get Clark to a safe distance away from Lana; she left the black rock where it was and kept fighting—well, letting Lana hit her.

"Were you warding me off until his strength returned?" Isobel asked. "That's so sweet of you. Didn't you know that his magics are no match for mine? Your pathetic little disappearing act is a nifty little meteor trick--"

"You know what? You're really starting to piss me off! You never shut up!" Chloe used her powers to grab Lana by the throat and lift her in the air. Lana looked shocked. "This ends now," Chloe said. Lana looked afraid as the black rock floated toward her and she flinched as it touched her. Chloe slowly put the other woman down.

Suddenly, there were two Lanas, and Chloe couldn't tell which one was the real Lana and which one was Isobel. They both came into consciousness, and one tried to attack her.

"Okay, that's definitely Isobel," Chloe said, dodging.

"Isobel, no!" Lana said, waving her hands; trying to stop Isobel. Her efforts were futile; she didn't have powers. Chloe quickly said a spell and Lana fell asleep.

Isobel charged again, Chloe conjured a large fireball.

"Do you really want to do that?" Chloe said. Isobel stopped in her tracks, afraid. Chloe began to recite a spell on the spot.

"Isobel, I banish you, and I strip your powers too. Return, through time and space, to the pyre, your rightful place," Chloe chanted. Isobel looked at her, angry. In a whirlwind, Isobel disappeared.

Chloe's focused her attention on her friends. Lana was sleeping, so she turned around to see about Clark. He was standing there, looking at her in disbelief. She took a step toward him, but he backed away.

"Clark?"

"Stay away," he warned. His tone was harsh, as if she were an enemy. Her eyes filled with tears as she undid her sleeping spell. As Lana began to stir, Chloe was gone.

Clark went to check on Lana, and looked around for Chloe, but she was nowhere to be found.

**To be continued...**

* * *

_**So, what did you think? Reviews are appreciated.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Author's note:**** Hey, everyone. I am so sorry that I took so long to post this. I've been so busy with school, and I had writer's block.. and... I don't want to bore you with excuses, so, without further ado:**_

Chapter Eleven

Clark didn't see Chloe again for a week. He'd stopped by her apartment every day after she'd disappeared, but she refused to open the door. She didn't answer his calls, and she was "out to lunch" every time he went to the Daily Planet, and Lois wasn't much help when he'd asked her about Chloe. At first he'd been worried about what happened to her, but she seemed to be normal, according to everyone else, including his mother. The only thing that seemed to be peculiar was the fact that she was avoiding him. So what happened to her?

Meanwhile, Chloe was asking herself the same question. There was something odd about her abilities. At first she couldn't do much, but now she could do almost anything and it was beginning to dawn on her that that wasn't normal for most witches. Then, she'd scolded herself for even thinking of it; Clark's opinions were starting to get to her, and she wouldn't let that happen.

But, what Chloe didn't know was that she had been on the right track. Although her abilities were naturally hers, they weren't all supposed to emerge, and they were definitely not supposed to emerge as quickly as they did. There was a catalyst, known as Jor-El. Clark hadn't thought of it either; he had given up on his theory that something had happened to her, and was just trying to mend their friendship.

On this particular afternoon, she'd been on her way to visit Lois at the Talon. She entered the coffee shop and made her way to the apartment door. She knocked and after five minutes, Lois let her into the apartment.

"Hey, Chlo. How's it going?" Lois said. Chloe could tell that her cousin was up to something. Lois smiled nervously, and waited to be questioned.

"What's going on?" Chloe asked, looking around for the unusual. She spotted a familiar red jacket and realized what was going on. Clark was in the apartment. "Nice jacket," she commented.

"Clark, you can come out now," Chloe said.

Clark slowly emerged from his hiding place and claimed his jacket. "I'll just get going," he told the two women as he made his way to the door. Lois, fed up with both of them, spoke up.

"No, Smallville. You're going to stay. I'm going to leave, and you two are going to talk about whatever it is that's going on." Lois walked out of the room, but came back just as quickly. "Oh, and don't kill each other." As Lois shut the door behind her, Clark turned to face Chloe, who just stared at him blankly. "Aren't you going to say something?" he asked.

She didn't speak; instead, she maintained the same blank, unreadable expression and sat down. Clark sighed and took a seat next to him.

"Chloe, I'm sorry. What did you expect? You freaked me out." His words began to stir up the anger she had felt that day on the farm, and without thinking, she slapped him across the face. To her surprise as well as his, it had hurt him and his cheek flushed red. Chloe wanted to stop and apologize but forced the notion out of her mind.

"You're such a hypocrite! What if I'd reacted the same way when Alicia had shown me your powers? How would that have felt?" Then, she had an idea. She would show him what it felt like. She seized his hand, and brought him back to that moment.

Clark was confused. He watched as Chloe turned to check on him. He felt her worry, along with all of the other emotions that she was tangled in, and then, he heard himself tell her to keep away, and felt the flurry of anger and despair as her fear was confirmed. He was horrified. He'd had the same fear, but it never became reality. He could understand why she was so angry with him now.

He was pulled back into the present. Chloe was halfway out of the building, and most likely would have been gone had Lois not stopped her.

"Come on, Chloe. You love him, and he loves you. Why can't you two work this out?" Chloe ignored the question and left quickly. Clark caught up with her and seized her hand. He hoped that he could somehow show her how he'd felt for the past week. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to show her what he needed her to see. She let him show her, and she felt his sincere regret and his depression that got worse every time she'd ignore a phone call or disappear when he was looking for her at the Daily Planet.

"I am so sorry," he said, getting on his knees. "Please don't walk away."

Chloe looked into his eyes and tugged on his hand so he would get up. She assured him that she wasn't going to walk away, and told them that she wanted to find a more private place to talk. He took her in his arms and took her to his barn loft. Looking around, she decided that it was private enough, but muttered a spell to make their conversation inaudible to eavesdroppers.

"Nothing has happened to me," she said, breaking the long silence. She continued to explain her heritage and she showed him what she could do. He rubbed his sore cheek, reminding her that she could hurt him. She apologized for it, but he didn't think that she had anything to apologize for.

Clark smiled at her, and they continued to talk for hours. Chloe admitted that sometimes her abilities scared her and she was unsure about their nature.

"At first, it was just astral projection and telekinesis, but somewhere along the line it became much more. That's what's scary. I don't really know what I'm capable of. I'm scared that I'm going to do something horrible one day. Thank goodness no demons have come after me; I don't know how I'd be able to handle killing. I don't know how Billie and the Halliwells--" She paused abruptly. She remembered that she hadn't told Clark about demons or Billie and the Charmed Ones.

Clark raised an eyebrow at her. He was apparently intrigued. Chloe inhaled deeply and explained what demons were and told him all she knew about the underworld. He noticed that she deliberately left out anything about the Halliwells or Billie, but he knew what it was like to have a secret that shouldn't be told.

"I am so afraid that I'm going to cost someone their life." Clark knew what that felt like. He pulled her close. There was nothing he could say to ease her fears, but he wanted her to realize that he was there for her.

* * *

When Chloe woke up the next morning, she was confused for a moment. She wasn't in her apartment. As she adjusted to the light, she realized that she was at the Kent farm. She must have fallen asleep while talking to Clark. She smiled to herself. He must have slept on the couch and let her have his bed. 

A few minutes later, he entered the room carrying a tray of food. She smiled at the array of food. He'd outdone himself. He'd gone to one of New York's best coffeehouses for her coffee. Then, he ran to France to get croissants. He got Canadian bacon straight from Canada. Finally, he made the eggs. She smiled at him and took a sip of coffee before speaking. "You didn't have to do all of this." He put a finger to her lips to stop her protests.

"Eat it before I do," he said, smiling at her. He watched as she began to eat. He noticed how she savored each bite and kept watching for a few minutes before he remembered that he had chores to do. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and hurried off to complete his morning chores.

Chloe finished up her breakfast and proceeded to take a shower. Once she was finished showering, she realized that she didn't have a towel. "Hey, Clark," she called out, knowing he'd hear her. "Could you get me a towel?" She was a little embarrassed that she forgot that particular detail, but was impressed when she saw one on the sink a few seconds later. She wrapped herself in the towel and then realized that she didn't have a toothbrush. She doubted that Clark had a spare toothbrush, so she conjured one. When she was done in the bathroom, she made her way to Clark's bedroom. Then, she realized that she didn't have a change of clothing.

She decided to go see how Clark was doing with his chores and let him know that she would be going home for a while to get dressed. As she descended the staircase, she heard the back door open. "Done with your chores already?" she asked as she walked into the kitchen. However, instead of facing Clark, she was face to face with his mother. It took Chloe a minute to realize why Mrs. Kent seemed a bit stunned to see her.

Of course, Chloe was completely mortified and didn't think to move. She wasn't even sure if she could move. Finally, she turned around and headed up the stairs back to Clark's room, leaving Clark to explain the whole situation to his mother, who looked at him and chuckled. Clark managed to contain his laughter for a few more seconds and erupted into a fit of laughter. He quickly contained himself and ran up to talk to Chloe, but when he got there, she was gone. He sighed; it was going to take a while for him to adjust to her powers.

He took his cellphone out of his pocket and dialed her number.

* * *

That evening, Clark insisted on seeing a movie. Chloe didn't really want to go out; she wasn't in the mood to get dolled up, so they compromised. Clark rented a movie and they watched it in her apartment. It was an action movie, for Clark's sake, with a good looking male lead, for Chloe's sake. Unfortunately, neither of them actually liked the movie, so they'd ended up channel surfing instead. Chloe finally picked something she liked, and, although he wouldn't admit it, Clark liked it too. 

The movie was almost over when Clark heard footsteps in Chloe's bedroom. He looked through the wall and saw a figure moving around the room, carefully looking through drawers.

"What is it?" Chloe whispered. He held out his hand for her to see through his eyes. Suddenly, she collapsed in his arms and he panicked. She woke up a few seconds later, and sprang to her feet.

"Clark, I'd get out of the way if I were you," she said simply. A man appeared in the room, fuming, and ready to attack Chloe. "Chloe!" Clark ran in front of her. She took his hand and he immediately ended up in his bedroom at the farm. Upset with Chloe for sending him away, he hurried down the stairs and was on his way out the door when he heard her voice.

"I'm okay," she said. "Don't come back. It's too dangerous."

Clark still wanted to help, so he stepped out of the house, but he came face to face with Lana.

"Hey, Clark. Can we talk?" she asked. Clark was worried about Chloe, but he wouldn't be able to explain himself if he just disregarded Lana and ran to Metropolis at full speed. He suppressed a groan and asked Lana what she needed to talk about.

"Well," she started. "It's complicated..."

"Lana, is it Lex?" he asked. Had Lex done or said something to her?

"No, Clark; it's you." She knew there was no going back now; she looked up into his eyes and kissed him.

Clark quickly broke the kiss, and wondered whether or not Lana was possessed or infected by something. "Lana, what's going on with you?" he asked. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Clark, I want to be with you," Lana told him. "It took me a while to realize it, but I do. Can't we just pick up where we left off?" She pleaded with him, looking into his eyes for a sign.

He looked her firmly in the eyes. "No, Lana. We can't pick up where we left off. We can't be together." Lana began to protest, but Clark interrupted and asked her to leave. He locked the door behind her and ran back to Chloe's apartment.

Looking into the apartment, he saw that Chloe was just fine. Then, a woman came from the bedroom. He recognized her from San Francisco. What was her name again? Paige. What was she doing there? He listened to their conversation.

"Well, what happened?" Paige asked.

"I got Clark out of here, and in the middle of that, I got hit," Chloe said, holding her arm for Paige to see. As Paige inspected it, Clark could see the huge bloody wound on Chloe's arm. Paige held her hand over the wound; her hands emitted a bright light, and the wound was healed. Clark decided that he'd been snooping, stopped watching, and knocked at the door. He announced himself, and when Chloe let him into the apartment, Paige was gone.

"What happened?" he asked, and then realized that Chloe was unaware that he'd been watching.

"I vanquished him," she said with a sigh. "I don't go looking for trouble--" Clark gave her a look of disbelief. "Not magical trouble anyway. I don't like that part of being a witch. I just hope this doesn't become something that happens often."

Clark, curious about Paige's role in the situation, told Chloe that he'd seen Chloe get healed. She explained what whitelighters were to the best of her ability; she knew about them, but she wasn't an expert.

Chloe was tired from her earlier fight, but was a bit uneasy and was having trouble falling asleep. Clark resolved to stay with her that night so she could get some rest. He held her until she drifted off to sleep and tucked her into bed. As he went off to sleep on the couch, she asked him to stay with her.

"Don't worry. I'll be here when you wake up. I promise." He kissed her on the forehead, and laid on the floor next to her bed. He hated that there were things he couldn't protect her from, but he would always be there for her, however she needed him... _if _she needed him.

**To Be Continued.**

* * *

**Please review! Actually, I'll make a deal with you readers. If I get at least five reviews per chapter, I'll post more quickly!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Author's Note:**** Hey guys. Sorry it took so long! I hope you all like it!**

**Oh, and there's a character based on "yours truly" in this chapter! Can you guess who?**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Smallville or Charmed. A bunch of people and companies own them. I do own the plot of this story and, the Mary-Sues & Gary-Stues that appear in it.**_

Chapter Twelve

Chloe awoke with a start. She'd been having more dreams about Clark lately, and they weren't real, but they didn't seem to be normal dreams either. They'd stick in her mind and she couldn't forget them. It seemed like every night was a dream about a different woman that had been in Clark's life.

It had started with the Kawatche girl Clark had met when he found the caves, Kyla, and gone on to Alicia Baker. Chloe didn't seem to mind those much. She'd remember, but her day would go on and she wouldn't think about them. But, this dream was going to bother her all day. She'd guessed that tonight would be about Lana, but she'd been thinking about the other dreams. She saw things she couldn't possibly know about in all of them. Clark didn't tell her everything about Kyla, and he definitely didn't tell her everything about his relationship with Alicia, so how could she possibly dream about certain things? Was she subconsciously curious about them?

She had to ask herself those questions, and now, she had to really ask herself another one. Was she really that worried about Lana coming between her and Clark? She was tired of all these dreams. They were very annoying. Even as she got out of bed to start her day, she could tell that this dream was going to be on her mind all day.

_"Lana, is it Lex?"_

_"No, Clark. It's you."_

* * *

Clark had been up for hours. He'd finished his chores, and made breakfast for his mother, and was off to Metropolis. Just as Chloe was leaving her apartment building, Clark was right behind her with a cup of coffee in his hand. 

"Thanks," she told him. He hurried in front of her and took a good look at her face. She'd had the same look for the past few mornings.

"Are you okay?" he asked, stopping her.

"Yeah," she said coolly.

"Are you sure? Did you sleep well?"

"I'm fine."

"Alright. If you're sure." He took her hand and they continued walking.

Soon, they were at the Daily Planet building. Clark hated this moment, because it was when they'd have to say goodbye until lunchtime, and lately, Chloe had been working on stories through lunch, or Lois had been dropping by, and Clark didn't get to have lunch with her. Also, she'd been engrossed in her thoughts for the past few mornings. She was there physically, but her mind was elsewhere. Clark wanted to let her know that he was there if she needed him, but he could tell that she was only half listening.

"Well, this is it," she said. "I'll see you for lunch?"

"Of course," Clark told her. "Remember what I said. If you need to talk..." he trailed off. She knew the rest of the statement. He gently tipped her chin up and pressed his lips to hers. The kiss deepened and they finally broke apart, realizing where they were.

"Bye," they said, simultaneously. Chloe turned around and walked into the Daily Planet building, and Clark watched her step onto the elevator before he left.

* * *

Lex Luthor sat in his office, thinking about how Lana had changed. He could accept the fact that she'd been possessed, but she was still different, even though Isobel was gone. Was she permanently changed by her ancestor's influence? He checked his watch. He and Lana were going to have lunch. They'd made lunch and dinner dates for the past week and she'd been very late for each one. 

Lana walked into his office, smiling. "Ready for lunch?" she asked.

Lex looked at his watch again. She was on time. He smiled and escorted her out.

A few minutes later, they were at a reserved table at a restaurant. The table was reserved for Lex, as always, and management sent one of Lex's preferred waiters to serve them. Lana always marveled at this. They could just walk into a restaurant, pass a line of people, and get one of the finest tables, just like that, without making a reservation. They ordered, and were chatting about the morning's events. Lex noticed that he'd lost Lana's attention for a moment, but she'd recovered quickly enough, so he didn't mention it.

Then, he realized what had gotten her attention.

"Ah, Mr. Kent. Yes, we have your reservation. Table for two, tonight at seven. Is there anything else I can help you with? Your welcome. Have a nice day, sir."

* * *

Clark and Chloe sat in a booth at a diner; Chloe had been hooked on their pancakes since Lois had taken her there over a month ago. She'd resolved to have lunch there at least once every few weeks. 

"So, how's your day been?" Chloe said, breaking the silence. Clark was just staring at her, and although she was adjusting to it, she still felt a bit weird.

"I decided to give the house a scrub down. I mopped a few times, scrubbed the floors, you know, really cleaning. I figured my mother would appreciate it. She does it every month, but since she's back and forth to senate meetings, I figured I should do it for her."

Chloe smiled at him. He was so thoughtful and generous.

"Hey, do you want to go to dinner with me tonight?"

"Sure."

"Great! I'll pick you up at six then."

Later on, Clark and Chloe returned to the Daily Planet together. There had been some strange accidents happening in Smallville, and Clark was convinced that a student at the high school was responsible. It was reasonable; he was holding grudges against a few of his teachers, and all of the accidents involved teachers' property.

Chloe looked into the teachers' insurance reports. There were pictures and descriptions of the damage. "Alright. Well, it says here, that there were odd circular burns, but there were no dents or indents and no sign of a starter.. " She trailed off, and buried her face in her hands, frustrated.

"What's wrong?" Clark asked. Chloe lowered her voice as she answered.

"He may be a demon. I'm going to have to go talk to the Halliwells. But, not right now."

"Chloe, come on. You have to, before he hurts someone else. I mean, think about it. Who knows what other grudges he has against people. You should to go and find out all you can. I need your help. If he is a demon, I can't handle him."

"Clark, you can. It will just hurt when he hits you. You still have your powers, you know. And, he's just a kid. Maybe he's just got powers that he wasn't meant to have. I could be vanquishing an innocent person. There's a ton of things that could be happening--"

"Now do you see my point?" Clark asked. "Go!" Chloe cleared her throat, and that's when he realized where they were. "Oh, right. I'll take you home."

Chloe shut down her computer and they both set out on their way. "Oh, wait. I have to talk to one of my interns."

"Your interns? Well, considering that you don't have any interns, I think you mean Alexa, since the other one that you considered yours now gets Lois' coffee at the Inquisitor."

Chloe smiled. "Yeah. I haven't seen her all day, though." She turned around and walked back into the office. "Has anyone seen Alexa? She's an intern."

"Yeah. She went down to the archives, I think." Chloe hadn't figured out who'd given her the information, so she thanked everyone before making her way, with Clark, to archives. "Wait, what am I doing? Can you check to see if she's in there for me? It would be a big waste of time if I walked through there and she wasn't there.

Clark focused and used his x-ray vision to look into the archive room. He saw Alexa, and a guy he didn't recognize. They seemed to be arguing. Clark listened.

"Come on, I really have to get back to work and I don't want to talk about this anymore. I'm sorry--" She was cut off as he violently pushed her into the wall.

"Well, is she in there?" Clark nodded. It was taking all he had not to rush in there and slam the guy into a wall. "You go ahead," he told Chloe. He continued watching as Chloe opened the door.

"Go along with me," the man ordered Alexa. He kissed her, and had his hands on her waist. Clark was quickly right by Chloe's side as she stumbled across them.

"Ahem.." Chloe said. The man broke the kiss. Alexa made eye contact with him before speaking to Chloe. He let go of her and she stood up, feigning embarrassment.

"Hey, Chloe. How's it going?" she asked, trying to compose herself.

"I just wanted you to know that I got that stuff you'd asked me for. I can give it to you tomorrow. I'm leaving early today."

"Okay Chloe." Chloe and Clark glanced at the guy.

"Oh, where are my manners," Alexa said. "Chloe, Clark. This is Claude. Claude, this is Chloe, and that's Clark."

Clark had his hand out for the guy to shake. He made his grip very tight.

"I think we should give the ladies some private time. It's obvious that they're talking about top secret reporter info that we can't know yet."

Chloe, who caught on, piped up. "Yeah. Sorry."

Clark led Claude out of the room.

"That's a nice watch," Clark said. "May I just have a closer look?" Claude held up his arm, and before he knew what happened, he was face against a wall.

"If you lay a hand on her, you'll pay for it," Clark told him. "I will find you and make you pay. Do you understand?" Once he'd said those last words, he let Claude go.

Lana Lang had learned a lot from her days as Elle. She'd never felt so powerful. She had power, of course. Lex had given her access to his money, but somehow, it wasn't the same.

Lex had power because he had money and influence. Elle's power came from within. She didn't need money. She could get what she wanted without it. Besides, Lex tracked his money and where it went. Elle wanted her own money that Lex couldn't track, and she wanted thrills. Street racing was a big thrill, and the parties afterward were crazy! Isobel was a party girl, and so this suited her.

Lana loved being so independent, and the power corrupted her. She could get what she wanted when she wanted it, and now, it was gone.

Then, she realized that she could still get what she wanted. All she had to do was keep up her pursuit.

* * *

Clark smiled as Chloe opened the door to her apartment. 

"You cheated. You were looking before I opened the door. You know, that really ruins the effect."

"Sorry. I couldn't wait," he said with a beaming smile.

"So, where are we going that we need to be so dressed up?" Chloe asked. She noticed that he was wearing a new suit and tie. "And why am I getting the feeling that your suit costs more than the farm has ever made?"

They continued outside to the parking lot, but instead of Clark getting into his pickup, which wasn't anywhere in sight, he held the passenger door of a green Aston Martin open for her.

"Okay, Clark. What's going on?"

"Today has been quite a day, Chloe. You saved my life and you helped that kid. And, today's a special day besides all that."

"What are you talking about?"

"On this day, when I was in eighth grade, I was assigned as a guide for the new girl. She'd transferred from Metropolis, and was dying to get a copy of the Daily Planet, because she 'needed to stay in touch with civilization.' Then, she invited herself to my farm. I'll never forget..." He leaned in and kissed her. "that. I'm glad we got it out of the way. I know you were thinking about it all day."

Chloe smiled. She'd said that to him after she kissed him that day in the loft on the day they'd met.

"Okay, but how'd you get the suit and the car?"

"I know the right people. Don't worry, it's absolutely legal. No red K involved, I swear. Although I really should get some. We played strip poker, and made out in the back of Pete's car."

"Clark! I don't remember that! Besides, I was infested with a parasite."

"I know," Clark smiled. "But, to be fair, you did beat me at poker."

Chloe smiled as she got into the car.

"I can do that without a parasite."

"I doubt it," Clark said. "We weren't using real cards."

"Alright, we'll see. Let's play.. in the loft at the farm. With real cards."

"I don't know. It would be a little awkward if someone found us and you were completely naked."

"Are you going to keep bluffing or are we going to dinner?"

Clark smiled as they drove off to the restaurant.

* * *

Lana sat in her car, watching Clark and Chloe at dinner. She'd checked the license plate on the car, and saw that it belonged to Oliver Queen, billionaire from Star City, and apparently a close friend of Clark's. No doubt Clark also had Oliver make the reservations for him. All Lex had to do was walk in and they'd get a table. But that didn't take any effort. Clark had obviously planned this in advance. 

She watched Clark's every move. What was it about Chloe that had him so mesmerized?

"Lana?" She snapped out of her thoughts and realized that she'd left her cellphone on auto-answer.

"Hi, Lex." She snatched up the phone.

"Hey, where are you? The jet was supposed to leave an hour ago." Lana silently panicked. She and Lex had decided to fly over to Milan, but she'd forgotten that they were flying out that night.

"Oh, Lex. I forgot. I'm on my way. I was visiting with Chloe and lost track of time."

She turned her car around and sped off to meet Lex.

**To Be Continued...**

* * *

**So, what do you think? Reviews please!**


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